What appeared to be a homemade bomb spotted outside the new Superior fire station closed part of a major road Tuesday morning.

Then all anyone could do was wait.

"If we had a regional bomb squad, this could be a relatively minor affair," Superior Mayor Jim Paine said at a news conference.

Instead, a bomb squad was asked to make the four-hour drive from the Marathon County in the middle of the state to take care of the device.

"There (are) ongoing talks with the Duluth Police Department about creating a regional response team," Superior Police Chief Nicholas Alexander said at the news conference.

"It's expensive," but so is waiting for another team to arrive, he added.

Paine called the device found on a sidewalk outside the fire hall at 3326 Tower Av. a "credible bomb threat," and officials said a passerby saw and reported the device Tuesday morning.

At 2:15 p.m. Paine announced that "all roads in the city of Superior are open and the device has been removed from Tower Avenue."

There were few details available about the source of the possible bomb, according to the Superior Police Department, and it was not clear if it was actually explosive. The incident remains under investigation.

If a similar threat were to occur in Duluth, a bomb-sniffing dog would help assess the risk and severity, police department spokesperson Ingrid Hornibrook said. A state bomb squad could then be called upon if needed.

Brooks Johnson • 612-673-4229