Four people were injured – one critically – in an explosion Thursday night on the University of Idaho campus that happened in a parking lot where people had gathered to test an experimental rocket.
UI officials say the explosion happened just before 10 p.m. on campus next to the Steam Plant along Moscow’s Sixth Street.
All four injured were taken to Gritman Medical Center with one in critical condition and the other three in stable condition. School officials say all four were alert and communicative early Friday morning following surgery.
A member of the Northwest Organization of Rocket Engineers says those involved with the relatively new UI club were trying to test rocket fuel they created. When one of the people lit the fuel, the explosion followed.
The device used for the experiment was a galvanized metal pipe, 8 to 12 inches long and about 1.5 inches in diameter, and was placed on a wooden pallet that was destroyed in the explosion. The students reportedly wore protective gear, and a faculty adviser was on hand for the experiment.
No buildings or property were reported damaged, and the scene was not a danger to the public after the incident.
Moscow police are investigating the explosion, and the FBI is assisting in accordance with routine procedure. (AP, LMT, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Idaho Statesman)
