City Hall evacuated during bomb scare

City employees were evacuated Tuesday from several offices at City Hall until a box of suspect contents was declared harmless, Laguna Beach Police Lt. Jason Kravetz said.

The Orange County Bomb Squad determined that the contents were unlabeled fireworks.

A construction worker found the box in some weeds near Eighth Street and South Coast Highway in South Laguna and handed it over to Fire Prevention Officer Ray Lardie, a former Laguna Beach police sergeant.

Lardie said he transported the box to his office at the back of City Hall for examination rather than have the highway closed down for an undetermined period.

The box was brought to City Hall at 8:34 a.m. The all-clear was announced at 9:50 a.m.

Evacuated city employees spent the interim in or just outside the City Council Chambers.