Hazmat team responds to hydrogen leak at BU research building

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

An overnight hydrogen leak at a Boston University research building prompted a response early this morning from a fire department hazmat team.

Firefighters responded at 3 a.m. to a hydrogen alarm to the BU photonics research building at 8 Saint Mary's St., according Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

"The building only uses hydrogen in one lab on the fifth floor, so firefighters shut down the tanks and vented the place to dissipate hydrogen in the atmosphere," MacDonald said.

One individual was in the building at the time, and that person was not injured, MacDonald said. Firefighters responded last week to the same building for another problem.

"We think this hydrogen leak might be related to the initial problem we responded to a week ago," MacDonald said. "We said they have to keep the hydrogen system down until technicians check it out."