June 3, 2005

Employees, firefighters extinguish chemical fire

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A fire today (Friday, June 3) on the Purdue campus was snuffed out in 20 minutes, thanks to university firefighters and employees who activated a spray of liquefied, compressed gas that suffocated the fire.

The fire started at about 2:45 p.m. when employees were blending hazardous materials into a 55-gallon drum at the Lab Materials Storage Building, located on the south edge of campus. The building is part Radiological and Environmental Management office. The drum contained a flammable liquid, which was about 90 percent alcohol, that had been destined for transport to a facility in Indianapolis.

At this time, investigators are uncertain why the drum ignited but suspect that one of the chemicals inadvertently was incompatible with the rest.

The two people who were in the building at the time of the fire were evacuated. There was no damage to the facility and there were no injuries, but one firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion.

Source: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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