BYU Student's Dorm Activity 'Was Definitely Reckless'

Brigham Young University Police say 22-year-old tried to make rocket fuel
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2022 2:26 PM CST
BYU Student Tried, Failed to Make Rocket Fuel in Dorm
The aftermath.   (Facebook/BYU Police Department)

"I mean, this was definitely reckless." That's how a rep for Utah's Brigham Young University Police Department is describing a student's Sunday afternoon activity: attempting to make homemade rocket fuel on the stove in his dorm. The unnamed student—BYU Police are calling him "Rocket Man"—wasn't successful. Instead, the "volatile mixture suddenly exploded into a fireball," per BYU Police. The resulting flames "engulfed the walls and ceiling around the stove," but the fire sprinkler system engaged and firefighters managed to put out the fire. There were no injuries, but 22 dorm residents ended up having to be relocated due to the "extensive damage to the building."

In a Monday Facebook post, BYU Police said Provo Fire is investigating the incident, but KUTV reports the police rep, Jeff Long, noted that while police don't know what the student planned to do with the fuel, they don't believe he had criminal intent. KSL reports Long noted the 22-year-old student was trying to make five pounds of fuel using ingredients that he bought legally. As of this writing no charges have been filed. "Please keep your experiments in the lab and supervised by trained professionals," police quipped. Long added that the call was far from typical for BYU Police. "A burned pop tart is probably one of our number one calls as far as fire response in that building," he told KUTV. (More strange stuff stories.)

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