Police say false tip to blame for evacuation in downtown Barrie, Ont.

Barrie police say a false tip is to blame for a decision in the early hours of Thursday to temporarily evacuate residents of a downtown for a police investigation.

In an update Friday afternoon on X, formerly known as Twitter, police said a caller making a weapons report provided inaccurate information.

The information led to police evacuating those living on a section of Dunlop Street, between Toronto Street and Maple Street, just after midnight on Thursday morning.

At the time, a police spokesperson said the evacuation was necessary as a matter of public safety during the investigation and that a transit bus was provided to residents so they could stay warm.