BOSTON -- A scare at an Ashland strip mall was determined to be a false alarm Wednesday when a fax to a Bank of America branch was thought to be a threat.

The bank and the entire strip mall on Elliot Street, which includes a day-care center, was evacuated at about 11 a.m. All of the children were taken to Warren Elementary School to meet their parents.

The businesses were reopened after officials found out that the fax was sent by a marketing group for a promotion to kick off a special offer from the bank.

"Fortunately, the incident was a false alarm. A document, which was an internal communication sent from a malfunctioning fax machine, combined with a suspicious package brought into the Ashland banking center, caused some concern," Bank of America said in a statement.

The bank said that the fax was meant for Bank of America employees and was intended for internal purposes for an upcoming small business promotion.