Suspicious package leaking yellow liquid turns out to be broken water sample: Saskatoon Fire

A broken water sample meant for Saskatchewan’s Centre for Disease Control caused a brief scare outside a Canada Post depot in Saskatoon on Wednesday.

Saskatoon Fire’s hazmat unit responded to the 51st Street facility shortly after 10 a.m. after postal workers found a package outside the building leaking a yellow liquid.

The package had no return address, but was addressed to the Saskatchewan Centre for Disease Control, which raised suspicion.

The centre was recently re-named  the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory.

Battalion Chief Steve Brissaw, who was part of the incident command unit,  confirmed to 650 CKOM the liquid turned out to be non-hazardous, after some testing.

“We were in contact with the shipper,” explained Brissaw. “It turns out that this product was just a water sample being tested and some ice packs that were keeping it cool had broken inside the container and leaked out.”

During the incident, workers were told to stay inside the Canada Post depot.

Incident at @canadapostcorp warehouse on 51st St in Saskatoon over. Battalion chief says 2 pkgs- one w/ice and the other w/water samples broke open. It was being sent to the Saskatchewan Centre for Disease Control. Non-hazardous material. @CKOMNews #yxe pic.twitter.com/7OSbM6bTIA

— Lara Fominoff (@LaraFominoff) April 29, 2020