Bomb Squad Responds To Lab Emergency At UDel
Bomb Squad Responds To Lab Emergency At UDel
A lab experiment gone wrong resulted in the bomb squad storming University of Delaware this week.
According to WDEL, UD officials said researchers created a small amount of an unidentified “shock-sensitive” chemical inside Lammot Du Pont Laboratory.
The concoction led to the evacuation of that lab on the South Green of the University campus. Shortly after 2 p.m, the nearby Brown Laboratory, Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library were all evacuated as a safety precaution.
The incident began around 12:30 p.m.
Classes at the affected buildings were cancelled for the day. However, those will resume normally today, Thursday, February 9.
Police were on The Green blocking students from approaching the buildings.
A team from DNREC and Delaware State Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal investigated the materials. They were able to transfer them to the South Green, where they were detonated at about 5:45 p.m.
Officials did not disclose any additional details about the chemical.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
A video submitted to the Newark Post showed students gathered to watch the excitement. They viewed from a ledge at Rodney Dining Hall on Academy Street.
A loud boom could be heard, and smoke and flames from the explosion on The Green were briefly visible. After the explosion, the students burst into cheers.
A reader-submitted video shows a Delaware State Police explosive ordinance disposal team conducting a controlled detonation after a hazmat incident at a University of Delaware lab this afternoon. #newarkde #udel pic.twitter.com/iBLoc5Naqp
— Newark Post (@nwkpost) February 8, 2023
In the end, everyone was safe and officials handled the incident with the utmost safety and care. University personnel were extremely grateful for the leadership of the local agencies.
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