The Canadian Red Cross says 19 people were temporarily displaced from a rooming house in Edmundston, N.B., after police discovered a possible “clandestine drug lab” in the building.
The Edmundston Police Force says officers discovered products and equipment possibly related to drug production in a rooming house on Wednesday.
As officers dismantled the suspected lab, the Fredericton Police Force’s explosive technician team was called in to assist and ensure that there were no explosive products among the items seized.
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The possibility of explosives resulted in a decision from officials to evacuate the building and some homes in the surrounding area at approximately 8:30 p.m.
The Canadian Red Cross says 19 people who lived in the apartment building were displaced as a result of the evacuation. The surrounding homes were only temporarily evacuated.
Volunteers with the Canadian Red Cross stepped in to arrange emergency hotel lodging and meals for 16 of the people who were forced out of the rooming house.
Another adult arranged to stay with a friend for the evening, while the Canadian Red Cross says the status of two other tenants was unknown to its volunteers.
Most of the tenants were allowed back in the building on Thursday.
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Edmundston police say the items found at the suspected drug lab will be analyzed to determine what they were used for.
The investigation is ongoing, and officers say charges may be filed against a number of individuals connected to the seizure.
They stress that the owner of the building is not a suspect in the investigation.