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2 injured by packages at state offices - UPDATED

06 January 2011 22:53 (UTC +04:00)

The employees were not badly hurt. State police spokesman Greg Shipley says one package was addressed to Gov. Martin Oâ€™Malley and the other to the state transportation department.
One package was at the Jeffrey Building on Francis Street in downtown Annapolis and the other was at the Maryland Department of Transportation building in Hanover.

Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Gov. Martin Oâ€™Malley, said cabinet secretaries have been instructed to shut down their mailroom operations and not deliver any mail until an investigation is concluded.

â€œBoth (packages) when opened â€¦ let off a small type of explosion or flame,â€ he said.

This afternoon, Francis Street was blocked and emergency vehicles were on the scene. The U.S. Postal Inspector, State Fire Marshalâ€™s Office, Annapolis Bomb Squad, State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are investigating. The FBIâ€™s joint terrorism task force also responded to the scene.

In Annapolis, a mailroom employee opened the package and there was a flash, city deputy fire chief Kevin Simmons said. There was a minor injury to the employee, who was evaluated by emergency personnel and did not need to be transported to the hospital.

Outside the building, two postal service workers could be seen putting the package in a locker and taking pictures.

There are unconfirmed reports that the package â€” a white cardboard box, similar to those that hold checks, with five multicolored stamps â€” was addressed to the Maryland secretary of state, whose main offices are in the Jeffrey Building.

The building also contains offices for the Governorâ€™s Office of Homeland Security, the Maryland Department of Planning and the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

By 3 p.m. the Department of Transportation building in Hanover was surrounded by a dozen fire department trucks from the county and Annapolis fire departments as well as units from the state police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the state fire marshal, Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco as well as other agencies.

Firefighters and law enforcement officials were combing the building.
This story will be updated as more details become available.