DPS officers found smoldering oven during routine rounds

A smoldering oven in a Schroeder Complex laboratory triggered fears of a hazmat situation Monday morning.

A Department of Public Safety officer doing his rounds in the building noticed smoke coming out of a second floor lab and called the fire department at 8:14 a.m., said Milwaukee Fire Chief Mike Labinski, of Battalion 1.

“We didn’t know if chemicals were involved, so we called hazmat,” Labinski said.

Fire officials later determined an unknown substance had been spilled in the oven. The hazmat team established there was no chemical danger, Labinski said.

Schroeder Complex was evacuated at 8:15 a.m., said Tim Olsen, Marquette communication manager.

Approximately 40 people were already evacuating the building when fire department personnel arrived on the scene, said Tiffany Wynn, a spokeswoman for the fire department.

The portion of 16th Street in front of Schroeder Complex was closed to traffic.

Within an hour, the fire department was preparing to leave. The building was reopened by 9:25 a.m., Olsen said.