Wright-Patterson Air Force Base security, fire and explosive ordnance specialists responded to a report of a suspicious package at Bldg 258 in Area C about 9:30 a.m. October 18, 2006. Building 258 houses the Base Mailroom.


“The appearance of the envelope met criteria for a response by base explosive ordnance and bioenvironmental teams,” said Col. Albert Zelenak, 88th Mission Support Group commander.


Employees working in the mailroom in Bldg. 258, Area C discovered an envelope with no return address and addressed to senior commanders shortly before 9:30 a.m. The package met the criteria for a suspicious package. About thirty mailroom and warehouse employees were evacuated from the building and the area was cordoned off until testing could be conducted. Tests by bioenvironmental experts were negative for presence of any chemical or biological agent. The envelope was determined not to pose any danger.


“Safety of our people is always the primary concern. The mailroom in this case was our first line of defense, and their identification of this envelope as potentially hazardous was textbook,” said Col. Zelenak. “Everyone involved in this response, from the mailroom employees to emergency responders handled this situation exactly the way we train.”


The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating.