Crime & Safety

Firefighters Respond to Small Explosion at NU Chem Lab

A small explosion went off inside the oven of a chemistry lab at Ryan Hall around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Evanston firefighters responded to a small explosion inside the oven of a chemistry lab at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

According to Evanston Fire Division Chief Dwight Hohl, the explosion went off in Room 1018 of Ryan Hall, 2190 Campus Drive. The building holds nanotechnology, biology and chemistry labs, according to Northwestern's website.

"A timed experiment involving a solvent and several other compounds in a test oven exploded," Hohl wrote in an e-mail. "Everything was contained in the oven; as it is designed to do."

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No one was injured, and there was no property damage, he said. Evanston's fire department will be working with Northwestern safety personnel to ensure proper safety precautions are followed, he added.


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