Pensacola Naval Air Station operations return to normal after bomb scare

Pensacola Naval Air Station operations returned to normal mid-afternoon on Wednesday, following a shelter-in-place order issued after a bomb scare earlier in the day.

Patrick Nichols, spokesman for the base, said security officials closed the base's back gate off Blue Angel Parkway and issued the shelter-in-place order after a warning involving an Air Force hangar.

Nichols said investigators later determined the warning was likely the result of a malfunctioning automated indoor alarm system.

"An initial investigation did not reveal any suspicious packages or explosives," he said.

The main base gate on Navy Boulevard remained open throughout the incident.

Nichols said base security, the Air Force and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service responded to the incident.