Residence halls evacuated due to gas leak

By This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Updated 11/7/11 9:29 PM

Scroll down for videos from the scene

Thuston and Mitchell residence halls were evacuated at the George Washington University (GW) due to a gas leak early Monday evening.

The original call for service was received at 6:15 p.m. The DC Fire Department, GW's Emergency Response Group (EMeRG), GW University Police Department (UPD), Washington Gas, GW Facilities, and the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene.

"The dorms were evacuated as precaution," said Candace Smith, executive director of the media relations.

Ruben Rodriguez, director of corporate communications for Washington Gas, said that Washington Gas received a call about the gas leak around 6:15 p.m and dispatched a crew of two workers to the scene . The emergency personnel arrived at the scene at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, Washington Gas turned off the gas to both Mitchell and Thurston Halls. According to Rodriguez, the damage occurred within a "close proximity to the meter" at a junction point in the alley between Mitchell and Thurston Halls.

Rodriguez said that crews were unsure of what caused the damage to the meter, but he said that it was a relatively simple fix.

"Gas was restored rather quickly to the buildings at 8:15 p.m.,"  he said.

The scene was deemed safe at approximately 7:30 p.m. by the DC Fire Department and GW Facilities. Fire department resources left soon after. Residents were allowed to reenter at around 7:35 p.m., and 19th and F Streets were reopened to traffic soon after.

As students reentered the building, UPD officers told them that the scene was safe and to open their windows if they smelled  gas.

Monday evening's gas leak was the first campus emergency, since the university rolled out its upgraded emergency alert system on Nov. 4.

The new GW Alert system sent out two notifications about the gas leak. one at approximately 6:51 p.m. and  7:46 p.m.. The advisories were sent to the student body via Facebook, twitter, email, and text message. The 6:51 p.m. advisory notified students notified students that the "DC Fire Department reports possible natural gas leak near Thurston/Mitchell Residence Halls." It urged students to remain clear of the area.

The 7:46 advisory informed students that the threat was over and that Mitchell and Thurston Halls were reopening.

Smith said that the updated alert system performed well and that they have received positive feedback about tonight's emergency communications.

Thurston hall is GW's largest residential dorm located at 1900 F. St. NW.   According to GW housing, its total occupancy is 1,116 first year students.Mitchell is located at 514 19th St. and houses up to 352 students in single occupancy rooms.

Update 8:16 pm

Here is video shot from the scene by John Torrisi.

Update 8:18 pm

Here is additional video by John Torrisi

Photo, video, and story by John Torrisi