1 sent to hospital after fire at NTU laboratory, purportedly due to chemical reaction gone wrong

NTU fire put out by staff before SCDF arrived

One person was sent to the hospital on Friday (17 April) after a fire broke out at a laboratory in Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

A photo of the incident on Reddit showed a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicle outside the affected building.

Staff & students told to evacuate

The original poster (OP) said they were about to finish their chemistry experiment at NTU’s School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) when the fire alarm rang, and staff and students were asked to evacuate.

Another photo they shared showed several staff and students, some wearing lab coats, standing outside the building after evacuation.

A photo circulated on Facebook depicted dozens of people waiting to be allowed to re-enter the premises.

Another student posted a photo of the fire shutters down inside the building, saying this was the first time they had seen a fire at SPMS.

At 2.50pm, the Reddit OP said the fire safety officer had told them that they could not return to SPMS as the police and SCDF needed to investigate.

They hoped their laptop and tablet, which they left behind, didn’t get burnt in the fire.

NTU fire allegedly started due to chemical reaction

In the comments, another Reddit user claimed to have heard that the fire started due to a chemical reaction that had gone wrong.

The OP confirmed that they heard the same thing from a laboratory staff member, adding that “the chemical was explosive”.

Later that afternoon, they said the authorities had allowed them to return to the building.

NTU fire involved the contents of a fume hood

In response to queries from MS News, the SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 1.50pm on 17 April.

It took place at 21 Nanyang Link — the address of SPMS.

The blaze involved the contents of a fume hood within a laboratory on the fourth floor, and was extinguished by NTU staff with a fire extinguisher before SCDF’s arrival.

One person was subsequently conveyed to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Also read: Fire breaks out at building housing MINDEF agency in Science Park, no injuries reported

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Featured image adapted from kelis_butterfly on Reddit.