Residents in Lancaster City were forced to evacuate on Saturday due to bomb threats that targeted specific areas. The Lancaster Pride president, Tiffany Shirley, condemned the threats, emphasizing that "hate has no home" in their community.

According to a news release by Lancaster City Police, the 100 block of N. Lime Street and the 100 block of N. Queen Street were both affected by the bomb threats, leading to the evacuation of residents in those areas. Fortunately, after thorough investigations, police determined that there was no actual threat to the public, and no explosives were found.

The bomb threats occurred after a suspicious package was discovered in the city's public library during a planned search conducted by K9 units from the Lancaster City Police and Lancaster County Sheriff Deputy. The package prompted a significant police presence, and the Pennsylvania State Police Bomb Squad was called in to inspect it. However, the contents were later confirmed to be benign.

Following the incident at the library, more threats were reported in the area, which led to the closure of the affected areas for a couple of hours. The disruption caused significant frustration and disappointment for the community, including Lissa Holland, the executive director of the Lancaster Public Library, who spoke of her sadness and anger about the incident.

Lancaster City Police released a statement denouncing these bomb threats as a threat to public safety, vowing that they will not be tolerated. Chief Richard Mendez stressed that they waste valuable resources and leave the community vulnerable to genuine emergencies. The police department is committed to identifying and prosecuting those responsible.

Unfortunately, the bomb threats also affected a scheduled Drag Story Hour event at the library, which event organizers announced had to be canceled for the safety of attendees.

Local county officials, including Commissioner Ray D'Agostino and Commissioner Josh Parsons, took to social media to express their opposition to the threats. They demanded that those responsible be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

In a separate incident, the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police received information from the city police about a possible bomb threat on the 800 block of Pearl Avenue. Residents of an apartment building in the area were evacuated, and a thorough search, including the use of a K9 unit, yielded no evidence of explosives.

The incidents have highlighted the need for increased vigilance and security measures to safeguard the community against such threats. The authorities are continuing their investigations to apprehend the individuals behind these alarming incidents.