Package sent to Napolitano ignites in D.C.

WASHINGTON - A package an official said was addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ignited Friday at a Washington postal facility, a day after fiery packages sent to two Maryland state officials burned the fingers of workers who opened them.

The suspicious package was discovered by an employee at the D.C. facility when it began popping and smoking and emitted "a brief flash of fire" before extinguishing itself, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. No one was injured.

Otherwise, the details were very much like what Maryland authorities described Thursday after workers at state government buildings opened small packages addressed Gov. Martin O'Malley and to Maryland Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley. There, the workers' fingers were singed.

Authorities were bracing for more packages to surface. "Right now we don't have any other packages, but we're not taking anything for granted," Lanier said.

Investigators had no previous indication the packages would be sent anywhere other than Maryland government buildings, FBI spokesman Richard J. Wolf said. While Maryland State Police has been the lead investigative agency, the FBI might now be forced to take a more active role, he said.

It's not clear what ignited the package at the D.C. facility because the worker didn't open the package, Lanier said.

Initial information indicated the parcel ignited in northeast Washington about 2:45 p.m., authorities said. The Washington postal facility was evacuated after an employee discovered a parcel that looked similar to the Maryland mailings, authorities said. Authorities wouldn't say whether Friday's package contained a note.

The Maryland packages contained a note railing against highway signs urging motorists to report suspicious activity, investigators revealed. The message read: "Report suspicious activity! Total --! You have created a self fulfilling prophecy."

At the D.C. facility, which primarily handles mail for the federal government in Washington, workers are not allowed to open packages, postal inspector Frank Schissler said, so it's unclear exactly how the parcel ignited.

Thursday's packages have been taken to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for forensic analysis. They did not contain explosive material. Mailroom employees in Maryland were back at work Friday, and they had pictures of the packages and were advised to be vigilant about anything suspicious.