Crews Respond to Lab Fire in Penn State Building

Emergency crews responded on Wednesday morning to a small fire in a chemistry lab inside a building on the Penn State campus.

Benkovic Building, formerly the Chemistry Building, was evacuated at about 11 a.m. A fire originated in a chemical fume hood in a lab on the second floor and an extinguisher was not effective in dousing it, Penn State police told StateCollege.com.

Upon arrival, Alpha Fire Company managed to quickly control the fire and crews checked for “extension in the involved room,” the fire company posted on social media. 

There were no injuries nor was any serious damage reported or observed, according to police. Alpha said the fire created no public hazard.

The fire did result in some minor water damage and the building was still under evacuation as of 12:45 p.m., though emergency crews were beginning to clear the scene.

In addition to Alpha Fire Company and Penn State police, Boalsburg Fire Company, Centre Region Hazmat and Centre LifeLink EMS were dispatched.