An explosion at the University of Nevada, Reno, caused the partial collapse of a dormitory building on Friday, July 5, 2019.
The explosion occurred in the basement of the 7-story building inhabited by summer school students. Mitchell Lee, a university senior who was in another building across the road at the time said that the explosion was like a car crash or an earthquake.
All classes were canceled and university employees were sent home. Harrison Wier, a student at the University's athletic department, who was in the building during the explosion describes his experience: "We just started walking out of the building, I even saw some staff members walked out with their hands up, we had no idea what was going on at first but five minutes after we were outside there was glass shattered everywhere."
The dormitory building accommodates many athletes and international students during summer. Mr. Wier stated that more than 100 people live inside the building.
According to officials, the initial explosion was followed by a second, more powerful one that destroyed an entire side of the building's wall. The triggering factor has not been determined yet, however, the police department referred to the larger explosion as a major utility incident. "While we were there investigating it, there was a larger explosion that damaged a large portion of the center of the building. We're not sure how it happened; possibly some sort of mechanical failure inside the building," Steve Leighton, operations chief for the Reno Fire Department, stated.
The accident caused severe structural damage and injured 8 people (fortunately, no one was in critical medical state). 2 of the victims were hospitalized and they have already been released. The building is meticulously inspected for any damage or structural flaws. "Our main focus is public safety and completing the search of the building. No one is missing," Jon Humbert, a spokesman for the city, said.
Sources: USAtoday.com, Channel3000.com
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