Campus Alert Archive
UD

When a Lab Accidentally Made a Bomb: Six Buildings Cleared on The Green

DEhazmatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of February 8, 2023, researchers in the Lammot du Pont Laboratory at the University of Delaware inadvertently produced a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive chemical. UD evacuated six buildings around the South Green — Lammot du Pont, Brown, and Drake laboratories plus Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library — and issued a series of UD Alerts. A Delaware State Police explosive-ordnance unit removed the substance and conducted a controlled detonation on the South Green. No one was hurt.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Delaware
Public R1 · DE
~24,000 studentsUD Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction153 chars
UD Alert: Evacuate Lammot du Pont Lab and surrounding buildings due to a safety-related incident. Move away from the area and await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed wording: UDaily said 'UD Alerts were issued throughout the afternoon advising the University community of building closures, evacuations and emergency operations,' but the exact text was not published; isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
First State Update reported students were evacuated from multiple buildings due to a 'safety-related incident,' the vague framing preserved here.
The initial evacuation targeted Lammot du Pont Laboratory, where the shock-sensitive chemical was produced, before extending to neighboring South Green buildings.
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction155 chars
UD Alert: Evacuations now include Brown Lab, Drake Lab, Memorial Hall, Alison Hall and Morris Library. Avoid the South Green while emergency crews respond.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from UDaily's confirmed list of evacuated buildings: Lammot du Pont, Brown, and Drake laboratories, Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library.
Labeled an update because it expands the evacuation zone rather than initiating or lifting it; no precise timestamp survives, so timestampApprox is used.
Morris Library is a major central facility, so its inclusion signaled the seriousness of the precaution despite the chemical being characterized as an isolated incident.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction167 chars
UD Alert: The hazardous materials situation has been resolved. The chemical was safely removed and detonated by the bomb squad. Evacuated buildings will reopen Feb. 9.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear: UDaily reported the evacuated buildings were 'open as normal on Thursday' (February 9), and the Newark Post documented the controlled detonation that ended the situation.
This is a genuine all-clear because it declares the hazmat situation resolved and announces reopening, rather than an interim status note.
The controlled detonation was carried out on the South Green by a Delaware State Police explosive-ordnance-disposal team.
Context

Background

The February 8, 2023 incident began when researchers in the Lammot du Pont Laboratory on the University of Delaware's Newark campus inadvertently synthesized a small quantity of a shock-sensitive explosive compound. The university characterized it as an isolated incident with no broader threat to campus health, but out of caution it evacuated six buildings clustered around the South Green and pushed a series of UD Alerts through the afternoon. The Delaware State Police deployed an explosive-ordnance-disposal unit to remove the material and perform a controlled detonation on the South Green, an unusual sight on a campus mall. No injuries were reported and the buildings reopened the next morning. The episode is a clean example of a research-laboratory hazmat emergency — distinct from the gas-leak and bomb-threat incidents UD also experienced — and it foreshadowed later criticism (after the September 2025 bomb-threat scare) that UD's emergency alerts could be too vague about the nature of a danger.
Analysis

Key Findings

A routine research procedure accidentally produced a shock-sensitive explosive chemical, turning a lab into a hazmat scene
UD evacuated six South Green buildings — three labs plus Memorial Hall, Alison Hall, and Morris Library — and issued multiple UD Alerts through the afternoon
A Delaware State Police EOD team removed the substance and conducted a controlled detonation on the South Green
No one was injured and all evacuated buildings reopened the next morning, February 9, 2023
Outcome
No injuries were reported. The shock-sensitive chemical was removed from the lab and detonated in a controlled manner on the South Green by a state police EOD team, and all evacuated buildings reopened the next morning, February 9, 2023.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Campus Buildings to Reopen Feb. 9 After Lab Incident - UDaily
    udel.edu
  2. News
    UD hazmat situation ends as bomb squad detonates 'explosive chemical' on The Green - Newark Post
    newarkpostonline.com
  3. News
    Campus Evacuated After Explosive Is Accidentally Produced - Inside Higher Ed
    insidehighered.com
  4. News
    Students Evacuated From Multiple Buildings At UD Due To 'Safety Related Incident' - First State Update
    firststateupdate.com
Tags
hazmatdelawareuniversity-of-delawarelaboratorycontrolled-detonationevacuation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion