Poison alarm in Zurich: Dozens of emergency personnel rush to Seefeld under flashing lights

Zurich's Seefeld district experienced a brief but intense emergency response on Thursday afternoon after a suspicious substance was reported in an office building. Sirens wailed shortly before 3 p.m. as multiple vehicles from the fire department, protective and rescue services, and the fire brigade's ABC (atomic, biological, chemical) specialists converged on Seefeldstrasse near the Opernhaus tram station.

ABC response teams are deployed for "atomic, biological, or chemical events," according to the Zurich professional fire brigade's website. A short side street off Seefeldstrasse, opposite the restaurant Tibits, was cordoned off. For a brief period, journalists were allowed onto the closed street, observing two emergency responders being calmly dressed in silver-gray protective suits by colleagues.

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The measurements of our specialists have shown that the substance is harmless.

At the other end of the street, two individuals sat on the sidewalk in front of a 19th-century office building. They appeared calm but exhausted, wearing respiratory masks. Media representatives were asked to step back before they could approach the individuals, with officials stating that information would be provided on-site later.

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At the time of the alarm, we must assume that the discovered substance is dangerous.

Shortly after, a spokesperson for Protective and Rescue Services issued an all-clear. The service had received a call about a suspicious substance discovered in an office and commercial building. "Our specialists' measurements have shown that the substance is harmless," the spokesperson confirmed. It was apparently a powder, and the spokesperson added that how it entered the building remains unclear and is under further investigation. The two individuals wearing masks did not require hospitalization.

When asked if it was much ado about nothing, the spokesperson explained that at the time of an alarm, authorities must assume the substance is dangerous. "We would rather mobilize too many emergency services than too few," she stated.

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We mobilize too many emergency services rather than too few.