A Wal-Mart store in Kodiak was evacuated Wednesday after a bomb threat, the Kodiak Police Department reported. It was the second threat to an Alaska Wal-Mart store in as many days, after the store in Eagle River received a similar threat Tuesday morning.
In a release, Kodiak police said the store was evacuated as a precaution Wednesday morning after employees of the Wal-Mart passed along the report of a bomb threat. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported the threat was delivered by phone.
Erin Hoffman, a spokesperson for Wal-Mart, said the store was cleared for about an hour, beginning shortly after 7 a.m.
About 30 employees and six customers were in the store at the time, she said. The store had opened just moments before the threat was called in.
A search of the store was conducted and nothing suspicious was found, Kodiak police said.
A nearly identical scene played out Tuesday morning at a Wal-Mart in Eagle River, Anchorage police confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
According to Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Castro, an employee at the Eagle River store called police around 6:20 a.m., "reporting they received a call from what sounded like a young male stating there were two bombs in the bathrooms of the store."
The store manager cleared the store, which is open 24 hours. Police responded and searched the store, allowing it reopen after giving the all-clear around 7 a.m., Castro said.
Kodiak police are asking anyone with information about Wednesday's threat to call 907-486-8000. Citing the ongoing investigation, KPD was not providing additional details Wednesday.
A Wal-Mart in Wasilla was also evacuated in February 2014 after receiving a threat, prompting a two-hour-long closure.