'Suspicious powder' cordons off street
THE Essential Energy depot in Queen St, Grafton and neighbouring industrial properties were cordoned off by Grafton Fire and Rescue's Hazmat Unit yesterday afternoon following reports at about 4.30pm of "suspicious powder" in the depot's letterbox.
A staff member from the neighbouring Wicks and Parker told the brigade that he had arrived about 5am yesterday morning to find the office covered in powder, thought to be from a fire extinguisher.
A neighbour further south on Queen St showed the Examiner some yellow powder on his driveway which had appeared the night before in what appeared to be a puff of smoke.
He said a neighbour saw "kids" running from the scene.
As per protocol, the brigade and police were treating the powder as potentially hazardous and a block of Queen St was blocked off.
Grafton brigade captain Garry Reardon said firefighters wearing protective suits would vacuum up the powder in a highly filtered vacuum cleaner before it was sent for testing.
