White Powder Scare at Jacqueline Drive Residence Not Hazardous

The town's fire and police departments responded to a Jacqueline Drive residence this morning after one of the homeowners said she noticed white powder falling out of her newspaper, but the substance was ultimately found to not be hazardous. 

Assistant Fire Chief David Billings said Manuel Mendes retrieved his newspaper from the driveway of his 149 Jacqueline Dr. residence around 8:50 a.m. Wednesday morning, but when his wife Frances opened the paper to read at the kitchen table a short time later, she noticed white powder falling out of the paper. 

Billings said Frances Mendes immediately put down the paper, washed her hands, dialed 911 and then evacuated the house with her husband. 

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Police and fire personnel and personnel from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the scene, according to Billings, and initial tests at the scene determined that the powder was not hazardous. The Mendeses were allowed to return to their home by about 10:50 a.m.  

"One of the suspicions was that it was just paper material dust that was sort of outcome of the newspaper manufacturing process," Billings said.