Woman finds suspicious device on her porch

A Costa Mesa street was closed for hours Thursday as authorities tested a device found on a resident’s porch, police said.

About 7:15 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of 23rd Street was leaving for work when she found a sandwich bag on her porch filled with white powder, with a fuse and a partially burned firecracker-type device, according to Costa Mesa Police Department Sgt. Phil Myers.

The material later tested negative for hazardous materials.

The resident told police she heard a thump on her front door about 9 p.m. Wednesday, but because her husband was out of town, she didn’t go to the door to check the source of the noise, Myers said.

The next morning, the woman found the device and called police, Myers said.

Nearby Lindbergh School was locked down, and students were barred from using the playground or outdoor facilities, but class sessions continued as planned as authorities assessed the material, according to Myers and Patty Esteves, who works at the school.

Among those on scene were Huntington Beach’s hazmat team, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad and Costa Mesa firefighters and police, Myers said.

The street was reopened by 11 a.m.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30