Panic caused by ashes

Deepa Bharath

Tenaaz Bhandara always carries a bag of “sacred ash” in her purse.

The 40-year-old Irvine woman, who works as a case manager in

Fairview Developmental Center, is a faithful follower of Satya Sai

Baba, an Indian guru, a holy man believed to possess divine powers.

Bhandara believes that the ash or vibhuti, which was sent to her

from India, is a blessing from Baba. She smears it on her forehead

and prays to her guru whenever she is under stress. It helps calm her

down, she says.

But little did she realize that her personal daily ritual would,

one day, cause widespread panic in her workplace.

On Wednesday, 80 people at the hospital’s administration building

were evacuated for about four hours after a powdery substance

believed to have been brought in by Bhandara was found in several

envelopes, Costa Mesa Fire Deputy Chief Gregg Steward said.

After hours of questioning Bhandara and testing the powder,

members of the Orange County Fire Authority’s Hazardous Materials

team determined that the powder was “safe.”

“They haven’t said what it is, but we do know that it’s not

something dangerous,” Steward said.

There were five employees in the area where Bhandara was, he said.

One of the employees, a woman, who “didn’t feel well” was treated by

paramedics and sent to Hoag Hospital Presbyterian, Steward said.

The call, which came in at 1:24 p.m., “actually came as a medical

aid call,” he said.

It was then that officials learned about the powder, Steward said.

The woman who was sent to the hospital was released right away.

The scare came two days after a letter laced with poisonous ricin

powder made its way to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s office in

the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

The center’s patients were not affected by the incident, spokesman

Jeff Helfer said.

“The administration building is separate from where the patients

are,” he said. “This is the first time that we’ve had something like

this happen here, as far as I know.”

Bhandara reportedly delivered envelopes which had the powder to

other employees, he said.

Bhandara said she never put anything in the envelopes

deliberately.

“I would never do that,” she said. “I don’t know how this powder

got there in the first place.”

Officials told her that the powder in the envelopes was ash,

Bhandara said.

“But they haven’t told me if it’s the same ash I have in my desk

drawer,” she said. “They haven’t told me how much of it was in the

envelopes.”

Flanked by her husband, family members and friends, who offered

her words of comfort, Bhandara smiled as she walked toward her car.

“This has been an ordeal for us,” her husband, Zareer Bhandara,

said.

Tenaaz Bhandara said the whole incident left her befuddled but has

not broken her spirit or her faith.

“I’m going to continue with my ritual and my prayers,” she said.

“I’m not going to stop because of all this.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].