A robot was sent into the Pioneer Museum to dispose of the acid.
/ Courtesy: Colorado Springs Fire Department
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Officials evacuated the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs around 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon after a staff member found a potentially explosive acid in a 1930s medical kit.
The small amount of Picric acid was found in a boy scout first aid kit in a box of donated items. Museum Director Matt Mayberry called 911 as a precaution because a similar type of acid was found in a Denver museum last week.
Museum workers had been going through the items after receiving a blast email warning staff members that potentially explosive substances had been found in other museums, like Denver and Dallas.
A HAZMAT crew and bomb squad were called to the scene. A robot was sent into the museum around 3:30 p.m. to retrieve and dispose of the chemical. It took the robot about a half hour to retrieve the acid.
Police also shut down Tejon Street between Colorado Avenue and Vermijo Street while crews worked to investigate the scene. The street reopened when the "all-clear" was given just after 4 p.m.
The Pioneers Museum will be open during regular hours Friday.
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