The mysterious subtance found in the three five-gallon buckets police investigated in front of the Bell Building Saturday evening have been identified as paint or paint thinner, Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ari Delay reported.
Someone reported the buckets just after 7 p.m. after discovering a noxious odor. No one claimed the buckets.
Following emergency protocol, police and firefighters arrived at the scene and barricaded off the surrounding block of Kelly Avenue. Kelly Avenue was closed for more than five hours during the investigation.
The county's hazardous material team, based out of the Belmont/San Carlos Fire Department, arrived at the scene and conducted laboratory tests that determined that the substance was non-explosive and not poisonous.
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