MIT dorm evacuated over 'suspicious material'

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Police evacuated part of MIT after finding what they thought were three pipe bombs inside a dorm. It turns out the devices were not dangerous.

The sense of urgency outside MIT's New House dorm could be seen as well as heard.

Firefighters surrounded the building where workers inside discover what they believed were several pipe bombs.

"The Cambridge Police Bomb Unit determined that the materials were in fact suspicious," said MIT Director of Communications Nate Nickerson.

Using water cannons, the unit began neutralizing the potentially dangerous materials. It was work heard several blocks away.

A decontamination unit was set up and about a dozen people, many of them summer school students, were evacuated quickly.

"I was in my apartment cleaning and the alarm went off and then the cop came and got me and I had to leave," said Nicole Denisco.

Bomb sniffing dogs were brought in and onlookers were kept far away, but by mid-afternoon officials give the all clear.

"An object that had the appearance and characteristics of a pipe bomb turned out on further examination to be a collection of harmless materials," said Nickerson.

In fact there was several devices. One was a solid piece of aluminum and the other was a cylinder filled with sand, and they don't believe they overreacted.

"The best thing we can do is go through the steps to protect public safety. If we didn’t, if we took a half step and something were to happen we’d be standing here in front of you telling a different story," said Deputy Jack Albert of the Cambridge Police Department.

There were no injuries and no decontamination necessary.

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