A hazardous materials team from Moorhead wrapped up operations at the Pennington County Solid Waste Transfer Station Friday, without finding any evidence of a respiratory irritant that sickened two employees ..

“Haz Mat” Specialists were called in Friday afternoon, after the Thief River Falls Fire Department also failed to find the source of the irritant that sent one worker to the emergency room at Sanford Medical Center Thursday.

Officials began looking for the source of what was described as a powerful, foul odor after a payload operator also became ill Friday morning. Solid Waste Officer Howard Person says they shut up the facility overnight Friday with plans to and air it out Saturday – whatever caused the problem apparently dissipating without a trace.

The south end of Barzen was closed for part of the afternoon Friday, with Law Enforcement on site and the public is asked to stay clear of the area while Hazardous Materials Specialists were at work.

Again, trained specialists working with the most sophisticated equipment available turned up nothing in a full sweep of the Solid Waste Transfer Station last Friday afternoon.