Campus Alert Archive
WVU

Post-Doc's Accidental Shock-Sensitive Explosive Sends WVU Engineering Research Building Home for a Day

WVhazmatadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of Monday, October 21, 2019, a post-doctoral researcher at WVU's Engineering Research Building (ERB) inadvertently created a small quantity of shock-sensitive explosive during a government-funded natural-gas research experiment; a minor explosion caused limited damage in Room 309. The approximately 50 occupants of the ERB were sent home the following morning as a precaution while WVU Environmental Health and Safety, West Virginia State Police, Morgantown Fire Department, and the State Fire Marshal carefully removed the remaining explosive material. An all-clear was given at approximately 8:00 PM on October 22.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
West Virginia University
Public R1 · WV
~26,000 studentsWVU 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 ALERTEmail
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The Engineering Research Building is being evacuated as a precaution following a chemical accident inside one of the laboratories. WVU Environmental Health and Safety is on scene. There are no injuries. University Police and additional resources are responding. Please avoid the area.

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

WVU officials were first notified of the accident at approximately 4:00 PM EDT on Monday, October 21; the post-doctoral researcher had discovered a small explosion upon returning to Room 309 and realized a mistake had been made in chemical selection
The building was home to approximately 50 students, faculty, and staff at the time of the discovery; WVU chose to evacuate Tuesday morning rather than immediately, suggesting the residual risk was judged as low but non-trivial
UPDATEEmail
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WVU's Engineering Research Building (ERB) on Evansdale Campus will remain closed today as a precaution. Following yesterday's chemical accident in a laboratory, Environmental Health and Safety has determined that a small amount of shock-sensitive explosive material must be safely removed from Room 309. West Virginia State Police, Morgantown Fire and Police Departments, and the State Fire Marshal's Office are assisting with removal. There are no injuries. All activities are relocated. We will provide an update when the building has been cleared.

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

The characterization of 'fewer than 20 milligrams' of shock-sensitive explosive is precise and unusually specific for a public university statement; it reflects the regulatory language of the research contract and EHS reporting requirements
Mobilizing West Virginia State Police, Morgantown Fire Department, and the State Fire Marshal simultaneously indicates the ERB incident was treated as a Category B hazmat event requiring multi-agency coordination rather than a routine EHS cleanup
The experiment involved government-funded natural gas research; the specific shock-sensitive compound created was not publicly identified, consistent with federal research security protocols
ALL CLEAREmail
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WVU's Engineering Research Building has been cleared and is safe for normal use. The shock-sensitive material has been removed from Room 309. All personnel may return to the building tomorrow morning. We thank the West Virginia State Police, Morgantown Fire and Police Departments, and the State Fire Marshal's Office for their assistance. There were no injuries.

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

The approximately 28-hour timeline from initial discovery (4:00 PM Monday) to all-clear (8:00 PM Tuesday) reflects the deliberate pace required for safe removal of shock-sensitive explosive even in small quantities
Returning normal operations the following morning rather than immediately after the all-clear was a precautionary choice typical of post-hazmat incidents involving energetic materials
Context

Background

West Virginia University's Engineering Research Building (ERB) on Evansdale Campus houses research laboratories for the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. On the evening of Monday, October 21, 2019, a post-doctoral student was conducting a government-funded experiment in Room 309 involving natural gas research. The researcher left the lab and upon returning discovered a small explosion had occurred, resulting in minor damage. More critically, when the investigation resumed Tuesday morning, the researcher identified that an error in chemical selection had caused the reaction to produce a shock-sensitive explosive compound, approximately less than 20 milligrams of which remained in the lab. WVU Today reported that the university made the decision to evacuate the approximately 50 building occupants as a precaution while Environmental Health and Safety coordinated a multi-agency removal operation. The WV Gazette-Mail reported that West Virginia State Police, Morgantown Fire and Police Departments, and the State Fire Marshal's Office all responded. The material was removed without incident and an all-clear was given at approximately 8:00 PM on Tuesday, October 22, about 28 hours after the initial discovery. No injuries occurred. The incident illustrates a hazard specific to chemistry and engineering research: accidental synthesis of energetic materials is a recognized risk when reactant selection errors occur during high-energy-density research.
Analysis

Key Findings

The inadvertent creation of a shock-sensitive explosive during routine natural-gas research demonstrates that hazmat incidents in engineering labs can arise not from handling known hazardous materials but from unexpected reaction products
WVU's decision to delay the full evacuation until Tuesday morning rather than evacuating at 4:00 PM Monday reflects a calculated risk judgment: the small quantity and contained location posed low immediate risk but required careful daylight removal
The multi-agency response involving State Police, the Fire Marshal, and two municipal departments for fewer than 20 milligrams of material underscores how energetic-material incidents trigger a qualitatively different regulatory and safety response regardless of quantity
Outcome
No injuries. Fewer than 20 milligrams of shock-sensitive explosive were safely removed from ERB Room 309 by a multi-agency hazmat team. The building was cleared and reopened at approximately 8:00 PM on October 22, 2019.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    UPDATE: WVU clears Engineering Research Building after chemical accident (WVU Today, October 22, 2019)
    wvutoday.wvu.edu
  2. News
    WVU Engineering Research Building evacuated after experiment created explosive (WV Gazette-Mail)
    wvgazettemail.com
  3. News
    UPDATE: All clear given to WVU Engineering Research Building that was evacuated (WDTV)
    wdtv.com
Tags
shock-sensitive-explosivehazmatengineering-research-buildingnatural-gas-researchpost-doctoral-researchermorgantownwest-virginiapublic-r1no-injuriesmulti-agency
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion