A plastic bag of materials discovered Friday near the nuclear reactor on the Missouri S&T campus has been determined to be free of explosives or any dangerous chemicals, Missouri S&T police say. Campus buildings that were evacuated yesterday are once again open and the university is operating under normal conditions.
At 3:45 p.m. Friday, University Police responded to a call of a suspicious package found near the door of the reactor building. The reactor and four nearby buildings were evacuated while police and other first responders secured the area and investigated. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Explosives Disposal Unit as well as military specialists from nearly Fort Leonard Wood were called to assist with testing and analyzing the package and its contents.
Testing was completed early Saturday morning, and law enforcement determined that the package contained no explosives or dangerous chemicals. University Police have given the “all clear” for the area but are continuing to investigate the incident, with assistance from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
“We received tremendous support from our local, state and federal partners,” says University Police Chief Doug Roberts.
Missouri S&T’s nuclear reactor is a 200-kilowatt unit that has been in operation since 1961. It is used as a teaching reactor for the university’s nuclear engineering program and for research.