Small machine sets off scare at Boston fed office

BOSTON -- The Boston Fire Department is investigating a possible hazardous materials situation at the Tip O'Neill federal building.

A radiation scare at the Tip O’Neill federal building made for some tense moments outside the Garden as Bruins fans arrive for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

“We found out through our own readings that there were elevated levels beyond normal limits,” said Chief Stephen Dunbar of the Boston Fire Department.

The fire department says two federal protective officers were walking by a storage room on the first floor of the federal building when radiation detectors they were wearing went off.

The immediate area was evacuated and the ventilation system was shutdown.

First responders moved a daycare on the fourth floor to another building just to be safe.

The cause of the scare was an old piece of equipment a little bigger than a shoe box.

“It’s an antiquated survey machine. It has been in the building for quite a while, I guess there was some kind of company here before and they kind of transferred all their contents into the storage room,” said Dunbar.

The level 3 hazardous materials incident was quickly downgraded, but crucial safety steps followed.

“We’re gonna over pack it into a container, isolate it and wait on a Nuclear Regulatory Commission and they will have to get a licensed contractor to deal with that,” said Dunbar.

The two federal workers who came in contact with that radiation scare were monitored and are expected to be just fine.

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