OTTAWA – Ahead of hosting hundreds of guests at her official residence to toast Independence Day, American Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft made several surprise visits to the first responders who handled the security scare she experienced last month.

On July 4, Craft visited an Ottawa fire station located not far from her Canadian home; the Ottawa Paramedic and Ottawa Police Headquarters; as well as several RCMP units including the VIP Unit, the Protective Policing Operations Unit, and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Explosives (CBRNE) Unit.

As CTV News first reported in June, Canadian and U.S. law enforcement investigated a death threat and a suspicious “white powder” package that was addressed to Lornado, the official residence for the ambassador in Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Park neighbourhood.

As part of the emergency response to this threat, a perimeter around the residence was sealed off. The substance was later deemed non-harmful but sources said the incident "concerned" Craft.

On her visits she thanked the first responders for their work that day, and as a slice of southern hospitality, brought sheet cakes with her as a token of her appreciation.

Her visits came amid concern earlier in the day of protests and potential for low-turnout at the annual Independence Day shindig given the ongoing trade tiff. The evening ended up being attended by a fair number of notable guests, met on their way in by a muted showing of anti-U.S. demonstrators.

With files from CTV News' Washington Bureau Correspondent Richard Madan