A hazmat team was called to the Coquitlam RCMP detachment Monday morning after someone entered the building carrying suspicious white powder.
Firefighters first attended the scene at around 9:30 a.m. after a person went into the detachment claiming they had been poisoned and pulled out a package of the unidentified substance.
The powder spread over one of the countertops. Crews have since cordoned off that area as a precaution.
Ten people were exposed to the substance, according to Greg Senior, assistant chief of operations with the Coquitlam fire department. None of them showed any symptoms of poisoning, but were closely examined by paramedics.
"We have to be careful, especially with all the fentanyl and carfentanil that's out there. We've turned off the HVAC and secured that area. We have to protect all the workers."
The powder is now being tested and an environmental agency is also helping with the cleanup so that workers at the detachment can safely return to work.
