The Defence Force has been called in to dispose of a chemical that prompted a street closure in the Dunedin suburb of Kenmure this afternoon.
Police were alerted at 3.15pm and they cordoned off each end of McNab St in response to the incident, a spokeswoman said.
Firefighters were then called, and they had consulted with experts to determine what the chemical was, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said.
The New Zealand Defence Force had been called in and would be disposing of the chemical, he said.
There was about 50 grams of the substance at the site, but he declined to say what it was.
An NZDF spokeswoman said this evening the chemical was silver acetylide.
NZDF personnel were on their way from Christchurch to uplift and dispose of it.
