SIU student rushed to hospital after chemical fire
By Heartland News
CARBONDALE, IL (KFVS) - A Southern Illinois University student was taken to the hospital Wednesday afternoon after a fire broke out in a campus lab room, according to SIU spokesman Rod Sievers.
Sievers said the fire occurred in lab room 102 of the Neckers Building, which houses SIU's College of Science, shortly after 1 p.m. The fire somehow sparked as the student was cleaning parts for a pump with Hexanes, an extremely flammable chemical solvent prone to causing flash fires. It can be harmful or fatal if swallowed, or harmful if inhaled.
The student, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. He suffered no major injuries.
Sievers said the fire was contained to the lab room, which suffered heavy damage. The building was evacuated as a precaution, and the gas was shut off.
No one else was hurt.
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