Three campus buildings evacuated following chemical explosion

Fire trucks line the sidewalks outside of the affected buildings. Photo by Grant Jones

A graduate student sustained minor injuries and three buildings were evacuated due to a chemical explosion in Voss-Kovach Hall on Thursday, Sept. 12. 

In a follow up to the initial UMD SAFE-U alert that called for the evacuation of Voss-Kovach, UMD called for the evacuation of the Endazhi gikinoo’amaading building and Engineering building out of an “abundance of caution.” UMD also stated that there is no present danger to students or the public.

Duluth Fire-Rescue and Duluth Police Department responded to the scene. The graduate student was transported to a local hospital soon after the incident. Eyewitness reports say the student sustained minor injuries to the nose, though this hasn’t been substantiated by the university or on-site responders. 

In an email to The Bark, UMD Public Relations stated, “The scene has been secured and the University's environmental health and safety and Duluth Fire Hazmat teams are on-site doing remediation work to allow the lab to safely reopen, which is expected later today.” 

Check back for continuing updates.