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Meridian shut down by bomb scare

<p>Law and fire officials respond to a bomb threat Friday afternoon at the UPS facility on Meridian Road in Kalispell. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

<p>Traffic on Meridian Road backs up when the road was blocked at Liberty Street Friday afternoon. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

<p>A Kalispell firefighter directs pedestrians away from the area near Meridian Road because of a possible at the UPS facility. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

<p>Traffic on Meridian Road backs up as law and fire officials respond to a bomb threat Friday afternoon at the UPS facility on Meridian Road. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

<p>Law and fire officials respond to a suspected bomb Friday afternoon at the UPS facility on Meridian Road. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

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by Jesse Davis Daily Inter Lake
| June 13, 2014 3:55 PM

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&lt;p&gt;Traffic on Meridian Road backs up when the road was blocked at Liberty Street Friday afternoon. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;A Kalispell firefighter directs pedestrians away from the area near Meridian Road because of a possible at the UPS facility. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Traffic on Meridian Road backs up as law and fire officials respond to a bomb threat Friday afternoon at the UPS facility on Meridian Road. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;Law and fire officials respond to a suspected bomb Friday afternoon at the UPS facility on Meridian Road. (Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake)&lt;/p&gt;

A suspicious package initially feared to contain an explosive device led to the evacuation of a small area in Kalispell Friday afternoon.
The package was reported to law enforcement and emergency services at 3:35 p.m. after it was found sitting in front of the office door at the UPS facility at 1151 N. Meridian Road.
Law and fire officials responded to the scene and set up command at an adjacent gas station, setting up roadblocks at U.S. 93 and Liberty Street on Meridian Road and at Northwest Lane on Three Mile Drive. The roadblocks remained in effect while a bomb squad was dispatched from Missoula.
The bomb squad arrived on scene at 7:15 p.m. and first sent a robot to take control of the package before a second robot was sent to X-ray the package.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., it was finally determined that the package did not contain explosives.
“It does not appear to be dangerous at this point,” Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset said. “It’s suspicious, but we don’t know exactly what it is.”
Nasset, who also said nothing criminal appeared to have happened, said police would be following up with both the sender of the package and its intended recipient.
Once the package was determined not to be dangerous, residents who had been evacuated from a quarter-mile radius around the site were allowed to return home and the roadblocks were removed.