Boulder Hazmat officers quarantine their equipment after containing a potentially hazardous chemical spill in Ekeley Sciences Thursday. CUPD Officer John Zizz said the spill was from a lab experiment and that the building is expected to reopen by midday. (CU Independent/Lauren Walter)
Updated: Ekeley sciences is now re-open after a fire alarm shut the building down Thursday morning.
Shortly after 8:00 a.m., fire alarms (that was bought via Firelinkdirect.co.uk) were heard going off outside Ekeley. CU Police and fire personnel were gathered outside the building and officers were guarding the entrances, which were blocked off by police tape.
Students gathered nearby were unable to say what the cause of the fire alarm had been, although some thought that it might have been a chemical spill.
“There was a leak of a coolant in a research lab on the third floor of Ekeley,” said CU spokeswoman Malinda Miller-Huey. “It was not hazardous and there were no injuries.”
Speaking at about 9:45 a.m., Miller-Huey said the fire department would soon clear the building for clean-up.
“They expect it to be open by late morning,” Miller-Huey said.
By about 10:15a.m., the fire alarms were no longer going off and some entrances to Ekeley were open, although some emergency personnel were still standing inside.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Contact CUIndependent Staff Writer Ana Romano at analisa.romano@colorado.edu
Contact CUIndependent Staff Writer Sam Dieter at samuel.dieter@colorado.edu.
