UPDATE: Ellendale apartment building site of bomb threat

An apparent bomb threat that led to the evacuation of an apartment building in Ellendale has ended without incident.

Law enforcement attempted to serve a warrant at Ellendale Square Apartments, 208 Seventh Avenue West, about 11 a.m.; the bomb squad was called after officers cited “a device found in an apartment.”

Residents were evacuated from the building at 11:35; the entrances were monitored and a bomb squad contacted. There are four squads in Minnesota; it’s unclear which one responded.

Crews from the Ellendale Fire Department and Ellendale-Geneva Ambulance Service also responded, staging about two blocks away.

The NRHEG Elementary School was contacted at 11:14 a.m., shortly after the situation began. A soft lockdown was put into effect, keeping students indoors. The school is about five blocks away from the scene.

Superintendent Michael Meihak notified parents via email about 1:20 p.m., saying they exercised precautionary measures after the site “encountered a situation that warranted an announcement limiting hallway movement around the building … I cannot emphasize enough that the safety of the students and staff was not jeopardized in any way during today’s situation.”

The device was removed and the scene cleared at 2:20 p.m., about 30 minutes after the bomb squad arrived.

Meihak said school officials communicated with EFD throughout, and the district’s plan was to run all regularly scheduled bus routes at the end of the day.

“If we receive information that impacts our transportation plans, we will get additional information sent out immediately,” he wrote.

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric also sent a truck to the scene, in case authorities wanted the power turned off.

No injuries were reported; no further information was available Monday afternoon.