No bombs found after day-long search in Ware

WARE, Mass (WWLP) - Town officials in Ware say that an extensive day-long search following a bomb scare turned up nothing.

During the day, police had closed-off part of busy Route 32, in the area of the Ware Middle School as the search went on. Police from several departments searched with dogs around the area of the Armory and the Ware Middle and High Schools.

At around 6:00 A.M., a bomb threat call came into police. Around 7:30 A.M., a reverse 9-1-1 call went out to area residents informing them of the haz-mat situation.

The National Guard and the EPA were put on standby during the time of the scare, and nurses and doctors at Mary Lane Hospital in Ware were put on call.

Ware Town Manager Stuart Beckley, did not call the situation a hoax, but said that the search still did not turn up anything.

Little information was released to the public all day long. Until the search ended around 5:30, Ware Police would only say that they were dealing with a "hazardous materials situation." Beckley said that the timing of the updates in the situation coincided exactly with the timing of the search.

Route 32, West Street, was closed for hours from Anderson Road to Gould Road. Residents living in that area were allowed to stay at home, but if they left, they were not allowed back in. That busy stretch of road has since been re-opened to traffic.

At this time, Ware police are still releasing little specific information about the nature of Sunday's bomb threat.

EARLIER UPDATES:
22News reporter Yoojin Cho is reporting that State Police helicopters were doing a preliminary search to make sure the officers and firefighters could move ahead with a ground search. They are taking all precautionary measures to make sure everyone is safe during the search process. They are looking for "Anything that's out of the ordinary," according to Sgt. Kovitch.

FROM 1:30PM NEWS CONFERENCE: Ware Town Manager Stuart Beckley and Sgt. Kovitch told 22News they are conducting a ground search near Mountainview Drive. They would not say who or what they are searching for, however they did say they are investigating suspicious activity. 

According to Town Manager Beckley and Sgt. Kovitch, no hostage situation was involved this morning. This morning's situation all started with an anonymous phone call at 6AM. They did confirm that neither the Ware Middle and High School, nor the Armory are directly involved in this morning's incident.

The next news conference is scheduled for after 3PM

22News reporter Shannon Halligan has seen multiple crews responding to this situation including: Department of Fire Services, Hazardous Materials, Department of Fire Services Special Operations, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Emergency Response as well as fire crews from Warren, Ware, Hardwick and numerous police. She also reports that firefighters are now being organized onto school buses.

22News has continued to receive viewer reports about this situation. Many viewers who live in Ware have reported receiving "reverse 911 calls" regarding the situation, some as early as before 7AM.

The American Red Cross Disaster Action Team has been on West Street in Ware since mid-morning providing food and water for police and other first responders. The team served lunch for 50 first responders and will provide additional meals and support as needed.

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This is a developing story, we will continue to update this article with new information as more becomes available.