U of M Duluth chemical explosion prompts evacuation, 1 person injured
A chemical explosion on the University of Minnesota-Duluth campus has led to authorities ventilating a lab, and one person being injured.
DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A chemical explosion on the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) campus led to authorities ventilating a lab after one person was injured.
What we know
According to a SAFEU alert sent at 9:58 a.m., the chemical explosion occurred in a lab at Voss Kovach Hall.
The Duluth Fire Department says crews responded to the lab just before 10 a.m. and provided assistance ventilating the building.
"This was a minor incident with minor injuries and damage, there were minimal impacts and the evacuation is being done out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our campus and community," says UMD communications specialist Alex Messenger.
A graduate student, who was working in a lab setting, sustained minor injuries and was transported by personal vehicle to the hospital and has since been released, authorities said.
University officials say that the chemical that was in the explosion was nitric acid.
Fire officials were able to neutralize the chemical and ventilate the area.
"All of our buildings are interconnected in with our ventilation system. Once we received information from Duluth Fire that this could also potentially affect in minimal ways other buildings on campus. We immediately notified using our SAFE-U system to campus letting them know what is happening, to evacuate Voss Kovach Hall and some of the other surrounding buildings that would be affected," said UMD Police Chief Sean Huls.
At 4 p.m., the all clear was given and the buildings reopened.
What we don’t know
Officials are not sure what caused the reaction that led to the explosion, but are investigating what led up to it.