Hazardous Object Shuts Down Calif. Airport

Federal officials suspended flights Tuesday to and from Bakersfield airport after hazardous material was found in luggage. Officials said it did not appear to be a terrorist-related incident.

"It sounds like, at this point, it's a hazmat issue; it's not terrorist-related or anything like that," said Suzanne Trevino, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. "It's not a bomb."

The unidentified material was discovered in a checked bag at Meadows Field.

Bakersfield Fire Chief Nick Dunn said it was in a bottle that released fumes. Two TSA officers who were exposed to the fumes were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The discovery closed down the airport around 8:20 a.m., with officials calling in a hazardous material crew. A bomb squad also was dispatched to the airport as a precaution.

At least one SkyWest Airlines flight from San Francisco was diverted to Los Angeles.

The discovery came less than two weeks after a man was charged with trying to destroy a Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit. He is alleged to have smuggled an explosive device on board the aircraft and set if off, but the device sparked only a fire and not the intended explosion.

Airline security has been tightened since the arrest.