Hazard Alert: Fire inside a fume hood Intended audience: Laboratory Principal Investigators and personnel Incident Summary A fire occurred in a fume hood that was being used to store hazardous materials, including waste. The materials included solid pyrophoric material and flammable solvents. While the exact source of ignition was not identified, the materials in the fume hood provided a significant amount of fuel for the fire. Investigation Findings Liquid waste containers containing flammable solvents were stored in a fume hood without caps and adjacent to a potential source of ignition Pyrophoric waste was stored in a cardboard box Actions Taken Lab-specific procedures were reviewed with lab group Hazardous materials were segregated and flammable waste stored in flammables storage cabinet Clarification of university requirements for chemical waste storage distributed to all labs Key Takeaways Lab-specific procedures must be followed at all times Cap chemical and chemical waste containers Segregate incompatible waste Flammable waste to be stored in a flammable storage cabinet Additional Resources: Lab Safety Program Chemical Storage Guidelines (Supplemental Information)