Suspicious chemicals were found in a multi-tenant housing unit on the corner of 5th Avenue SE and 6th Street SE in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood Friday morning.
First responders arrived on the scene at 8 a.m. after receiving a call about an incapacitated person, said Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer John Elder.
Elder said first responders saw chemicals in the apartment and notified the Minneapolis Fire Department and a hazardous materials crew.
Police and fire officials evacuated residents, and they were transported to a bus a few blocks down 6th Street SE. Residents in the area were allowed to stay in their homes, but anyone returning to the building was not allowed in, Elder said.
Elder said police are currently in the process of obtaining a warrant to search the unit, and the National Guard’s 55th Civil Support Team — a response team that handles poisonous chemical threats — was called to the area.
Firefighters checked the air quality of the building earlier in the day on Friday and found zero indication of dangerous chemicals, but what they did see in the unit raised concern, Elder said.
Ben Farniok contributed to this report.