‘Kitchen chemist’ making homemade rocket fuel sends fireball through BYU dorm, cops say

A student was trying to make rocket fuel on a stove in a college dorm room when it exploded into a fireball, Utah police said.

The ensuing fire in the Brigham Young University dorm room set off the sprinkler system and caused flooding in parts of the building Saturday, Feb. 19, the BYU Police Department in Provo said.

“The flames from the explosion had engulfed the walls and ceiling around the stove,” police said on Facebook. “Firefighters quickly secured the scene and were able to put out the remnants from the fire. Fortunately, no one was injured but some dorm residents will be displaced due to the flooding caused by this kitchen chemist incident.”

Police did not say how many residents will be displaced.

The fire began in Heritage Halls Building 4, a dorm for students taking at least 9 undergraduate credit hours or two graduate-level credit hours. The residents share a kitchen with up to six people, according to the university website.

“Please keep your experiments in the lab and supervised by trained professionals,” police said.

Authorities did not say why the student was making the rocket fuel or if they will be disciplined.

This story was originally published February 21, 2022 at 1:04 PM with the headline "‘Kitchen chemist’ making homemade rocket fuel sends fireball through BYU dorm, cops say."