Meridian Fire Department responded to the downtown post office Tuesday after employees at the facility reported smelling smoke. No fire was found.

A call about a potential fire at the downtown Meridian post office on the corner of 22nd Avenue and Ninth Street prompted swift response from Meridian Fire Department but turned out to be a false alarm.

Fire Chief Michael Evans said post office staff had called the fire department after smelling smoke. Firefighters searched all three floors of the building, which is a former Federal Courthouse, and did not find a fire. They did, however, find a light ballast for a fluorescent light that was hot, which is the suspected source of the smell, he said.