The Engineering Building on the University of Leeds campus has been evacuated and cordoned off by fire services and police following a chemical leak. West Yorkshire Fire Service reported that they were called to the scene following ‘reports of a respiratory irritant’. There are reports that some students were affected but not seriously. The building has had to be ventilated.

 

Fire Wardens, police, and University staff are preventing anyone from entering the building. Ambulances and paramedics are on site, although the university have confirmed that no students or staff were taken to hospital following the incident.

Evacuated students congregated across from Engineering waiting to be let in. However, the University staff were informing students that all scheduled lectures, tutorials, labs and seminars within the affected buildings have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

Frustrated students informed The Gryphon that their belongings were trapped inside and they wouldn’t be able to retrieve them until tomorrow at the earliest. One student said: “my car and house keys are inside. It’s a nightmare.”

One Engineering student informed The Gryphon that, when leaving the Engineering building at 6.30pm on Monday night, they detected a “funny smell” and heard that alarms were sounded soon after. A fire engine was seen outside the building at 10.30pm.

There have been no reports of serious injuries or of fire within the building.

 

Euan Hammond 

(Images: Jessica Murray)