No injuries in organic chemistry lab explosion

An explosion occurred in an organic chemistry laboratory on the seventh floor of UCT's PD Hahn Building in the early hours of Thursday, 2 September. Nobody was in the lab and there were no injuries. Damage to the facilities is being assessed.

Postgraduate students working in laboratories in other parts of the building alerted campus security staff and were safely evacuated from the building. Emergency services arrived promptly on the scene, secured the fire and determined that nobody was injured in the explosion. UCT's security staff are working with Fire Department investigators to determine the cause of the explosion and prevent any recurrence.