A Woodland fire station was evacuated and students at a nearby school displaced Monday after a well-meaning citizen brought a suspicious device to the station, police said.
Sgt. Tom Davis said the citizen arrived at the 1619 West St. fire station at about 10:30 a.m., carrying the device that was found at an empty house in the neighborhood. Firefighters notified police of the delivery.
“Upon arrival, officers believed that the device was some type of explosive device,” Davis said in a news release. “Officers isolated the device, evacuated the fire station, blocked traffic in and around the intersection of West Street and El Dorado Drive, notified neighbors to shelter in place and relocated students and staff of Woodland Christian Elementary to the western portion of the school.”
The Yolo County Bomb Squad also responded to the station, where technicians safely detonated the device and removed it, Davis said. No injuries were reported, and both the school and the intersection reopened at about 1 p.m.
The incident remains under investigation by the bomb squad and the Woodland Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call Woodland police at 530-666-2411.
Meanwhile, Davis cautioned citizens who come across a suspicious device to not move or examine it, but rather leave it in place, evacuate the area and immediately contact law enforcement to investigate.