Hazmat team responds to substance mailed to Cruz campaign office in Texas

Authorities are investigating a piece of mail with a white powdery substance that was sent to Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) campaign headquarters in Houston, a spokeswoman for Cruz’s campaign said Tuesday.

Campaign staff reported the mail to authorities after opening it on Tuesday. A hazmat team and firefighters from the Houston Fire Department responded to the incident and were still at the scene early Tuesday afternoon.

{mosads}The campaign spokeswoman said Cruz’s team can’t say what the substance was. 

The Houston Fire Department said on Twitter that two people were taken to the hospital Tuesday after being exposed to the substance. Neither of those people were members of Cruz’s campaign staff, according to the spokeswoman.

Two people were taken to the hospital after apparently being exposed to a white powdery substance in an office building at 3200 SW Fwy. The 9th floor of the Phoenix Tower has been evacuated as HFD HazMat is responding to the scene working to determine the nature of the substance.

— Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) October 2, 2018