The Raleigh Police Department on Tuesday contained and disposed of a hazardous chemical found on Shaw University's campus last week.
Around 5 p.m. on Friday, police were alerted to a hazardous material found at the Roberts Science Building, located at 118 E. South St., on the private HBCU's campus. Campus staff discovered an expired chemical that required a hazmat disposal.
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The chemical was identified as crystallized diethyl ether, which is highly volatile and poses significant explosive risk under certain conditions.
WRAL reached out to Shaw University about how the chemical was discovered. They did not provide any details. Campus operations will return to normal on Wednesday, according to the university, with all previously closed buildings and parking lots reopening.
The Roberts Science Building was evacuated out of caution, and Shaw campus police monitored the building throughout the weekend. Police did not mention if anyone was affected or injured due to this exposure.
The Raleigh Fire Department, in consultation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI, created a disposal plan.
At approximately 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the Raleigh Police Department's hazardous devices unit disposed of the chemical by placing the chemical in a container, transporting it to a hole near the building, burying it in the hole, filling the hole back up and placing sandbags on top. The chemical was then blown up. There were no injuries in the blast.
Residents and community members in the downtown area and around Shaw University heard a loud sound associated with the controlled detonation. WRAL crews on the scene described the noise as similar to a firework going off.
In accordance with federal guidelines, a minimum evacuation perimeter of 150 feet in all directions was established.
UNC professor Todd Austell said leaving the chemical unused can pose an explosion risk.
"It's been sitting there a while if it's crystallized," said Austell. "That's when you know it's dangerous."
Raleigh police on the scene after the explosion said that because of the amount of universities and university-based labs in the area, the department is often prepared for these situations.
"There's gonna be chemicals throughout the city of Raleigh, there are different types of companies that can assist in removing chemicals when they are expired in situations like this," said Lieutenant David Davis. "It's just really comforting to know, being a city of Raleigh employee, that we have the resources when it comes to this level, that we can actually go in there and safely take it out and get rid of it like we're supposed to."
WRAL asked Shaw officials when the last time the lab housing the expired chemical was inspected.
The university declined to answer.