Hope you're not a commuter from Bakersfield!

[derg]

UPDATE 2-Hazardous substance found in bag at California airport
Tue Jan 5, 2010 1:59pm EST
(Updates with confirmation of report, adds details)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A hazardous substance was found in a piece of checked luggage at an airport in Bakersfield, California, sending two security officers to the hospital and prompting an evacuation of the terminal.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, Suzanne Trevino, told local television "it sounds like, at this point, it's a hazmat (hazardous materials) issue, it's not terrorist-related or anything like that. It's not a bomb."

Security jitters have hit the United States since a botched attempt on Christmas Day to blow up a Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam using explosives smuggled on board. Washington, blaming the incident on a wing of al Qaeda, has ordered increased security for airlines, including additional screening measures for passengers.

Trevino said the owner of the bag in Bakersfield, a man who was not immediately identified, was taken into custody by Kern County officials.

Two TSA employees who were working near the suspicious bag were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released, but Trevino said she did not know if they had shown any signs of illness.

"They are fine now," she told Reuters.

The terminal at the Meadows Field Airport, which serves travelers in California's San Joaquin Valley area, was shut down as a bomb squad and hazardous materials team investigated the bag. One flight was diverted from the airport.

Trevino said she was unsure about the nature of the hazardous material detected in the bag when it was screened, but said she believed it was some type of liquid.

The Bakersfield Californian newspaper reported the two TSA workers were exposed to fumes from a bottle found in a passenger's luggage. The paper said that the contents of the bottle tested positive for the explosive TNT, prompting the evacuation.

Meadows Field is a small airport about 100 miles (160 km) north of Los Angeles that serves domestic flights.

Illustrating the concern over airline security since the Dec. 25 incident, part of Newark Liberty International Airport in the New York City area was shut down for hours on Sunday, causing major disruption to flights, after a man walked the wrong way through a security checkpoint.

(Reporting by Sandra Maler and Steve Gorman, Editing by Frances Kerry)

 

[Rosstafari]

All I can think of while reading this is

TNT! IT'S DY-NO-MITE! TNT! AND I'LL WIN THE FIGHT!

Wow, it's like I've been desensitized to "homeland security threats". Hmm.

 

[Nick]

Funny, I actually took a screenshot of the FAA page when I saw that Bakersfield, of all places, was groundstopped today. So this explains it.

 

[derg]

I never understood why Fresno had a worse rep than Bakersfield. I'm from an town that's right smack dab between them both.

Dear Former Northwest Airlines brethren: "Bo'THUM is grammatically equivalent and interchangeable with Both Of Them"

Your Southernjets-South pal.

 

[tlewis95]

All I can think of while reading this is

TNT! IT'S DY-NO-MITE! TNT! AND I'LL WIN THE FIGHT!

Wow, it's like I've been desensitized to "homeland security threats". Hmm.

:yeahthat:

TNT! I'M A POWER LOAD! TNT! WATCH ME EXPLOOOOOOOODE!

:rawk:

 

[subpilot]

After living in both Fresno and Bakersfield I can say that, in my opinion, Bakersfield is way better than Fresno. We don't have the Bulldogs (big gang) in Bakersfield and our school districts are actually pretty good (assuming you live in the Northwest which I would assume anyone on this forum would). We don't have grafitti on every building or security bars on every window either.

 

[MikeD]

Al Queda is after Bakersfield now.

 

[ChasenSFO]

Were they trying to blow up a Brasilia with 11 people on it? Srsly?

 

[derg]

Al Queda is after Bakersfield now.

It's the Al Aqsa Oildale Brigade with their honeybombs.

 

[Bernoulli Fan]

The hazmat turned out to be honey...? :dunno:

The hazardous material that caused the airport in Bakersfield to suspend flights and delay travelers has been identified as honey. It's unknown why the alarms were triggered but no explosives were found.

The alarms went off when officials swabbed a bag belonging to 31-year-old Francisco Ramirez, who was returning home to Milwaukee following a visit to the Valley.
Ramirez had five Gatorade bottles in the bag, which contained honey, causing additional concerns for the screeners.
Ramirez is a gardener by trade so it’s believed the alarm may have been triggered by fertilizer residue, which sometimes contains chemicals used in explosives.

 

[mooneyguy]

seriously two tsa agents went to the hospital because they smelled HONEY!

tsa rep stated "It's encouraging that the system did work, because something is not right there," Youngblood said. "The system worked the way it was supposed to, but it just takes time when you close an airport — and it costs a lot of money."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582094,00.html?test=latestnews

 

[BEEF SUPREME]

serously two tsa agents went to the hospital because they smelled HONEY!

TSA rep stated "It's encouraging that the system did work, because something is not right there," Youngblood said. "The system worked the way it was supposed to, but it just takes time when you close an airport — and it costs a lot of money."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582094,00.html?test=latestnews

LOL if feel so much safer...

 

[mooneyguy]

LOL if feel so much safer...

Safer? no I feel dumber...after reading that article it was so stupid I think it actually caused me to lose some brain cells.:crazy:

 

[mshunter]

Al Queda is after Bakersfield now.

Boy are they gooing to be sorely mistaken when the realize just what they have accomplished in takeing down Bakersmell!

 

[Douglas]

seriously two tsa agents went to the hospital because they smelled HONEY!

:rotfl:

Run, get out of here. It's honey, in a thirst quenching bottle, and that is extra scary.
Has this honey been with you the whole time?

 

[amjon]

The hazmat turned out to be honey...? :dunno:

When combined with TNT or PETN it becomes explosive.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

Honey attracts BEARS! BEARS are HAZARDOUS!! Therefore HONEY is HAZMAT! Jeez, guys!!

 

[Roger, Roger]

Honey attracts BEARS! BEARS are HAZARDOUS!! Therefore HONEY is HAZMAT! Jeez, guys!!

 

[ChasenSFO]

Honey attracts BEARS! BEARS are HAZARDOUS!! Therefore HONEY is HAZMAT! Jeez, guys!!

:rotfl::rotfl:

 

[derg]

When combined with TNT or PETN it becomes explosive.

Or, a tasty treat!