HONOLULU (AP) — A 29-year-old student was taken to a hospital with serious injuries after an explosion at a University of Hawaii laboratory, officials said Thursday. ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — A 29-year-old student was taken to a hospital with serious
HONOLULU (AP) — A 29-year-old student was taken to a hospital with serious injuries after an explosion at a University of Hawaii laboratory, officials said Thursday.
The woman suffered burns on her face and serious injuries to her arm, said Shayne Enright, a spokeswoman for Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. She was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition after the explosion early Wednesday evening.
No one else was hurt.
Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said responding firefighters were told the woman was mixing gases when the blast happened. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Firefighters found hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen compressed gas cylinders in the lab.
Jenkins says the blast blew out interior walls, damaged ceiling tiles and equipment in the lab at the Pacific Ocean Sciences and Technology building on the university’s flagship Manoa campus. The damage was from an explosion and not from a fire, Jenkins said.
The building was evacuated. Firefighters secured the area by shutting off any valves left open and sampled air quality to make sure it was free of hazardous gases.
