LEESVILLE, La. (KALB) – 9:45 p.m. UPDATE:

According to Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft, the Mona Lisa Apartment complex in New Llano is no longer under an evacuation order. The Louisiana State Police HazMat Team determined there were no dangerous chemicals in the apartment complex, though Craft said there were some items that will assist in the investigation.

Also, Sheriff Craft confirmed that the suspect being held by federal authorities is a soldier currently stationed at Fort Polk. There has been no official comment from Fort Polk at this point.

Original story:

An apartment complex in New Llano has been evacuated after what Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft said was an incident that involved an explosion in the Kisatchie Forest near Fort Polk earlier Wednesday.

The Mona Lisa Apartments were evacuated after the Fort Polk Criminal Investigations Division notified VPSO around 3:30 p.m. that an incident had taken place around 1 p.m. just off post, and that the suspect lived in the apartments nearby.

“Federal officials and Fort Polk CID notified us that a person had combined some sort of chemicals that created an explosion on Kisatchie,” Craft said.

The suspect has not been named and is in custody of federal officials at Fort Polk. Craft said that the suspect has so far been uncooperative and has already contacted a lawyer. He would not confirm whether the suspect is connected to Fort Polk but did say the investigation is being handled by federal officials.

As of 8 p.m., some 80 to 100 residents of the apartment complex had been evacuated, Craft said.

He also said that Louisiana State Police and their HazMat team are waiting on equipment to arrive that will allow them to inspect the apartment from the outside to determine whether it is safe for crews to enter. Once an all-clear is given, the residents will be allowed to return.

“We want to get people back in their homes,” he said. “It’s created quite a stir.”