DENVER -- Sections of Denver International Airport that were closed by a bomb scare reopened Thursday afternoon after the bomb squad used a water charge to destroy a suspicious package.

Inside the unattended bag was an ammunition canister filled with shell casings, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. Investigators do not believe there was malicious intent, Jackson said.

The airport was reopened at about 2:15 p.m., about an hour after several parts of the airport was blocked off to traffic.

The package was found just before 1 p.m. by a police dog, Jackson said. It had been left on Level 5, by the curb.

Officers looked at the package and suggested that a bomb squad be called out.

The bomb squad determined the package did not contain explosives but, nevertheless, used a "water charge" device to destroy the package, which caused a loud boom, Jackson said.

The security alert resulted in closures of several outside levels on the west side of the main terminal. West access roads going to levels 4, 5, and 6 were closed and traffic was rerouted to the east side of the airport. The southwest portion of the terminal was also cleared for some time, said 7NEWS Reporter Jane Slater.

DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon did not believe flights were not impacted by the bomb scare.

However, about 100 United flights were canceled Thursday because of the check-in system issue that occurred between 3 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Central Time at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. Learn more in this story.