The fire happened about 9:30 p.m. Monday after the man spilled a highly flammable solvent on his arm and outside a vented work area, said Capt. Larry Kahler of the Iowa City Fire Department.
The chemical, tetrahydrofluran, ignited, causing a small explosive flash fire, he said. It blew out two windows in the lab, burned the man's arm and started some cardboard boxes on fire, Kahler said.
The victim was able to walk out the building. He was treated at the scene, then taken to University Hospitals. The man's name nor his condition was immediately released.
The fire, which was contained to the lab, was extinguished with a fire extinguisher. There was no smoke or water damage and firefighters found no addition chemical hazards, Kahler said
Fire crews were on the scene for about an hour.
