Montgomery County firefighters partially cleared a high-rise apartment building in downtown Wheaton on Thursday morning after one of its residents reported having a bomb in his unit, officials said Thursday morning.
Shortly before 8 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire alarm at “The Exchange,” which has approximately 17 floors that rise above a Safeway grocery store, Blake said. The building has 486 apartment units, Blake said.
After arriving, the firefighters encountered a man who said he pulled the alarm and that there was a bomb in his apartment. Investigators were able to see inside his apartment, and indeed noted a “suspicious looking” package.
“What they saw gave them concern,” Blake said from the scene.
Residents were asked to leave the building, with many being taken to a nearby recreation center, as investigators entered the apartment with a neutralization plan, according to Blake.
“The suspicious package was rendered safe,” he said, and it was determined to not be an explosive.