NOBODY HURT IN SMALL EXPLOSION IN UCLA BUILDING.

Byline: JASON KANDEL and RACHEL URANGA

Staff Writers

A small explosion in an equipment room at UCLA caused minor damage Wednesday, officials said.

The blast occurred about 11:44 a.m. in Building 114, which houses the California NanoSystems Institute, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. Firefighters and two hazardous-materials crews responded after an automatic fire alarm went off, he said.

Humphrey said no one was injured and investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blast.

He said two gallons of Freon refrigerant had spilled in the area, but it was unclear whether that was related to the explosion.

An operator with the UCLA police said the explosion occurred after equipment apparently malfunctioned at the Institute, which is on the south side of campus near the Medical Center and Student Union.

The Institute is a collaborative project on nanotechnology, which is the science and technology of building devices such as electronic circuits from single atoms and molecules.

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

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