Hazmat team responds to incident at Duke Chapel. Here’s what happened.

Duke Chapel closed for a short time Friday afternoon as emergency responders investigated a potential emergency.

The Durham Fire Department and its hazmat team investigated an “unknown liquid” poured by mistake into an air vent near the chapel which prompted the response.

There were no injuries and the chapel reopened, the university said in a statement.

Multiple fire trucks and other emergency response vehicles were parked outside the chapel, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.

Firefighters in gear were seen entering the front doors of the chapel.

The N&O has reached out to Duke for further details on the incident.

This story was originally published October 27, 2023 at 5:34 PM.

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra

The News & Observer

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Aaron Sánchez-Guerra is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer and previously covered business and real estate for the paper. His background includes reporting for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a freelance journalist in Raleigh and Charlotte covering Latino communities. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, a native Spanish speaker and was born in Mexico. You can follow his work on Twitter at @aaronsguerra.