WWU chemistry building to be open fall quarter after fire

The Western Washington University chemistry building where a lab caught fire is expected to open in time for the start of fall quarter, the school announced Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The accidental fire erupted in a lab on the third floor of the building Aug. 25, with six students and a teacher inside.

It started around 5:15 p.m. after a student disposing a mix of chemicals that included acetone and hexane spilled the liquid on the floor. The vapors found an ignition source and caught fire before the building’s sprinklers extinguished the flames, Bellingham Fire Marshal Jason Napier said days after the fire.