Georgetown College gets help from Lexington bomb squad to remove ‘volatile’ material

A potentially explosive chemical was safely removed from Georgetown College’s campus Tuesday by Lexington responders, according to the Georgetown Fire Department.

The incident happened at the Asher Science Building on Georgetown’s campus. Assistant Chief Seth Johnson with the Georgetown Fire Department said a professor found a bottle of ether that had begun to crystallize, which turns the substance into ether peroxide.

“When that occurs, the product becomes extremely volatile and possibly explosive if not handled properly,” the Georgetown Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

Diethyl ether is an extremely flammable liquid and vapor and can explode when heated, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Officials evacuated the science building as well as nearby buildings and closed off the scene, Johnson said. The Lexington Police Department’s bomb squad was called to the scene and safely removed the product from the building.

No injuries were reported, according to Johnson.

“We would like to thank the Lexington Police Department for sending their bomb squad unit to remove and dispose the product in a safe, professional manner,” the Georgetown Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

After removing the ether peroxide from the building, crews took the chemical to a nearby rock quarry and detonated it safely, according to Johnson. The buildings evacuated on campus were reopened after the substance was removed from the building.

The Georgetown Fire Department posted photos from the scene on its Facebook page. The fire department also posted two videos of the ether peroxide being removed from the building and it being detonated at the rock quarry.