Body found inside Halifax condo, HazMat team called

HALIFAX, Mass. (WHDH) -- Police discovered the body of a missing elderly man inside his Halifax condominium Monday night where they also found an unknown substance, prompting a HazMat team to respond.

Police had been searching for the man who hadn’t been seen for about a week. Cadaver dogs found the man dead inside his apartment at the Halifax Meadow Condominiums, then found the substance inside a cabinet.

"There is an unknown substance that we're trying to analyze and we're trying to make sure that it is safe," Halifax Fire Chief William Carrico said Monday night.

The fire chief says crews discovered only a small amount of the substance.

"It's just enough to throw up the red flag and be precautionary," he said. “We're treating it as hazardous until proven otherwise."

A decontamination tent was set up outside the building and crews were sprayed down after exiting.

As a precaution, the fire department also evacuated 12 units in the condo block, meaning 30 to 35 people were forced outside without much of an explanation.

“It was clear they weren't saying so I wasn't going to pry,” resident Mark Nolan said. “It's their business right now and I'm sure they'll take care of everything properly."

It was reported Tuesday morning that the substance in question was a box marked ‘explosives.’ It was believed the chemicals were not dangerous.

Local newspapers were reporting that the man was in his seventies and was a teacher in the area. Police said they had been called to the home a couple of times for well being checks.