Earlier this evening a fire broke out in a third floor research lab in the old chemistry building on the South Kensington Campus. As of 17:14 three fire appliances and a command unit were on Imperial College Road, with firemen testing breathing apparatus and fire engines already connected to the mains water supply. London Ambulance Service sent a paramedic car and one ambulance.

It was a comparatively tiny incident compared to recent ones

The fire did not appear serious from outside, with no smoke visible. It appears to have been confined to one fumehood within the lab, with the rest of the lab untouched. Two people have been taken to Chelsea & Westminster hospital with minor burns to the arms and face. It is thought that the incident is connected with quenching of sodium hydride.

The fire was put out within ten minutes of the fire brigade arriving and by 17:30 people had been let back into the RCS Building where the incident took place, with fire engines leaving the site.

This latest accident is the fourth visit of the fire services to the area this academic year, following a large fire at Albert Hall Mansions last month, a chemical accident in the Chemical Engineering building in the Autumn term and a suspect package in the Faculty Building which turned out to be light fittings.

With another suspect package having caused a large response in June, the fire brigade must surely be getting sick of visiting South Kensington, particularly Imperial.