Evacuations lifted in Pueblo, suspicious cooler found empty

A suspicious cooler found near the Department of Social Services building in Pueblo has been deemed harmless.

The cooler was found unattended in the 200 block of W. 12th Street on Monday morning. The Pueblo County fleet department, located south of the DSS building, was evacuated as a precaution.

Authorities investigated the cooler and found it to be empty. The evacuation was lifted just before noon on Monday.

Sheriff’s department spokeswoman, Laurie Kilpatrick, said the evacuation was precautionary and that people are urged not to leave suspicious packages unattended near public buildings.