Brian Caffarel
Due to an explosion of a D-cell battery Tuesday in Cox Hall 613, students and faculty in Cox and Dabney halls evacuated the buildings.
The students and faculty stood on Harrelson Hall’s steps, watching the scene of emergency responders in the cautioned-off area at Cox Hall, many unsure of what was going on.
“We initially evacuated Cox and were going to try to leave Dabney in session, but couldn’t because of the connection between the two buildings and the people walking back and forth,” Sgt. Jon Barnwell of Campus Police said.
According to Barnwell, a lab tech was putting the battery into an instrument when it exploded and “projected acid.”
Barnwell said the victim sustained minor burns.
To make sure the acid was immediately removed from the victim’s face, he was showered and the EMS put him on an ambulance to Wake Med before even getting his name, Barnwell said.
After the battery explosion, the University’s Campus Police, Fire Protection and hazmat arrived on the scene, as well as Raleigh’s Fire Protection and hazmat.
Barnwell said he did not know why the battery exploded, but the odor from the explosion spread throughout the building.
Hazmat, Barnwell said, entered the building to try to get rid of the acid, which was airborne.
“The concern here is the person who actually got the acid on him,” Barnwell said.
According to Barnwell, even though University emergency responders try to make as minimal of an effect as possible on daily activities, Fire Protection made the initial call to evacuate the buildings based on the odor.
By about 5 p.m., the buildings were reopened for entry except the sixth floor of Cox, and around 6 p.m., only the lab was still closed off as hazmat units cleaned the contamination area, according to Barnwell.