A postdoctoral student was found dead on Thursday, Dec. 18 following a lab explosion at the chemistry department of Tsinghua University in Beijing. The sole victim of the incident has been identified as 32-year-old Meng Xiangjian. 

The university and local fire fighters have confirmed the researcher's death. Reports indicate that the explosion occurred around 10 am. One student living near the area recalled the incident saying "I heard a loud sound while I was in the dormitory, and I later saw black smoke coming from the building."

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A teacher, who opted for anonymity, revealed that Meng was working with a flammable compound called tert-butyl lithium that causes burns when exposed to air. After the fire broke out, a strong odor reportedly remained in the atmosphere. 

Photos and videos posted by onlookers on social media shows blunching smoke coming out of the window. The fire broke out at the second floor of the three-storey, red-brick Ho Tim building, which is apparently located in the middle of the campus. 

Although no official comments or statements have been released yet, the university revealed on Weibo that the fire has been put out and all faculty, students and staff have been evacuated. Local authorities are now investigating the matter.

Laboratory fatalities are vey rare. In 2009, University of California, Los Angeles, chem student Sheri Sangji suffered from a third-degree burn because of chem lab mishaps. UCLA had to pay US$70,000 in fines and vowed to tighten safety protocols.

In a statement, Fan Qing, Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Chemistry, said that "Certain hazards will be found in individual experiments, but, in general, fire and explosions are preventable if all necessary steps have been taken." 

Tagsfire, lab explosion, Chemistry, Ho Tim building, chemistry laboratory