'Volatile material' at University of Manitoba south campus safely detonated Friday

The Winnipeg Police Service's bomb unit safely detonated a "volatile material" at the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus Friday afternoon.

The university had reported that an unstable chemical with a potential for explosion was stored in one its buildings and notified the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, police said in a news releaseSaturday.

The volatile materialwas a chemical commonly found in laboratories andcontained and deemed not to be a suspicious package, according to police.

Members of the bomb unit later removed the volatile material from the building to an outdoor contained detonation location. Bomb unit members safely detonated the material just after 4 p.m. Friday, the release said.

A news release sent earlierFriday afternoon said members ofWinnipeg Police Service's bomb unit wereon the south Winnipeg campus at the Parker Building, which is home to the university'schemistry department.

They warnedresidents in the area at that pointthey may hear an explosion-like sound after 4 p.m.

Jamie Dearnley, who graduated in 2022 from the faculty of chemistry, spent much of his grad school studies in that building, so he went to campus to see what was going on Friday afternoon.

"I was just curious to see what it'd look like," he said.

He heard the explosion go off, which he said sounded like a firework.

"We never had anything that interesting go on when I was there,"Dearnleysaid.

Computer science student Pablo Rajmundowas studying at a nearby building when he got a call from a friend asking where he was.

"Afriend called me, asked me if I was thereand [told] me it's not safe," Rajmundosaid.

He said he never saw anything like the detonation before.

Regular use of the Parker building resumed after the cleanup, the university said in an email.

It also said it plans to review its chemical storage protocols.

No injuries were reported during the incident, police said Saturday.