Lockdown ends at IRS building in Ogden

OGDEN -- A possible threat forced the IRS building in Ogden to go on lockdown for more than four hours Friday night.

A frightened employee called KSL in the midst of the lockdown, saying she was stuck.

By 10:30 p.m., she and her coworkers were allowed to go home after crews determined there was no threat.

The woman told KSL it began at 6 p.m. By 7:30, Weber County sheriffs and a hazardous materials team were called to the scene to investigate a suspicious substance. Because this is a federal building, FBI personnel were also called to the site.

Around 9:30 p.m., about two dozen people left the building. Since then, people have been trickling out in small groups of two or three.

Local hazmat crews determined the substance was not dangerous not long after 10 p.m. The FBI has backed out of the investigation, saying they don't believe a federal crime was committed.

The Ogden IRS center is one of the largest in the country, employing thousands of Utahns.

This isn't the first scare. Last year hazmat crews searched the area for a white powdery substance believed to be anthrax. Two IRS employees were carried out of the building on stretchers, but their condition was unrelated. Hazmat crews were unable to find any hazardous material on scene.

Local officials will continue to investigate.

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Story written with contributions from Sarah Dallof.