White Powder Sent to County

An envelope containing a white powder was found outside the Santa Barbara County Social Services building, leading to a complete evacuation of the building this morning, but the substance turned out to be harmless.

Two employees were exposed to the substance just after 8 a.m., at the building on the county’s Camino del Remedio campus in Goleta. Other employees in the building were evacuated. The County Fire Department responded with two engines, a hazardous materials team, and a battalion chief. The City of Santa Barbara’s hazardous materials team also responded, as did the County Sheriff and Office of Emergency Services.

After collecting a sample of the powder, firefighters checked it for toxicity, flammability, and explosiveness and found it to be harmless.

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, as the powder was found with a suspicious letter.