Turvey Park Fire Station commander Jeff Edwards said firefighters, police and paramedics were called out to the site for a hazmat incident at 6.28pm.

He said firefighters "evacuated and quarantined" about 14 people who were working at the facility before entering the building itself to locate the white powder reported.

"Firefighters entered the building with breathing apparatuses and protected clothing to bag and tag the powder," he said.

"It usually takes between one to three hours, where the entire premise is shut down to make sure it is safe."

Once secured in a bag, the substance was handed over to police for a forensic investigation.

Mr Edwards said the employees were brought out of quarantine two at a time to be cleaned off.

He said the firefighters re-entered the site for one final clean-up before handing it back over to the centre.

"It is a time-consuming process and a massive interruption," he said.