No injuries reported in 'small explosion' at Université de Moncton
Firefighters and police in New Brunswick responded to an explosion at a lab on the campus of the Université de Moncton Saturday morning.
Platoon Chief Keith Guptill of the Moncton Fire Department said the call came in shortly after 11 a.m.
The call from the 911 dispatch centre was originally for a fire inside a science lab, but Guptill said they received an update while in transit that it was a small explosion.
"So of course, that makes us have a heightened sense of responsibility," said Guptill. "Fire is one thing, explosion is another all together, so safety for our crew as well as the individuals that might have been on scene."
Two people were inside the building at the time of the incident, but they exited the building safely.
There were no injuries reported in the blast.
Guptill said a small fire was put out very quickly.
While the incident turned out to be minor, firefighters were not aware of that when they were responding.
"There was a number of members of the RCMP showing up here as well," said Guptill. "When you hear ‘explosion’ in any city, that's a big deal. So they all responded. We all expected to see something very sensational when we arrived here and that wasn't the case and we're happy about that obviously."
As a result of Saturday's incident, a fire prevention team will come to the university to talk to staff to find out more about what their safety protocols.
"Where the place their chemicals, what each of these machines do, so that the fire department members as we respond on scene have more accurate knowledge of what we're dealing with when we get here," he said.
Fire investigators are trying to determine if there was a malfunction with equipment inside the lab or if the fire was electrical in nature.
There was no damage inside the building.
CTV News has reached out to the Université de Moncton for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.