A level one hazmat was called by the Chicago Fire Department at a Public Storage facility near Broadway and Bryn Mawr in Uptown just after 10 a.m.
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Greg Dolphin said he and his crew first came upon the device as they were loading and unloading things at the facility.
"This red thing that looked like a bomb with a timer on it. It was pretty clear that it had just been within 30 minutes for us it wasn't there. It looked real enough for us that we ran," he said.
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The ensuing investigation led to the suspension of Red Line service between Belmont and Howard for several hours, and closed several businesses in the area. No. 36 Broadway buses were also rerouted during the incident.
Chicago police said bomb technicians rendered the object safe, and an all-clear was issued.
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"This suspicious object appears to be a hoax. There is no threat to the area," CPD said.
No further details have been released.
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