At 1:52 p.m. this past Wednesday, the Hamilton College Emergency Response Team sent an email to the Hamilton Community that a gas leak had been reported near Burke Library. The email urged the community to avoid the area until further notice, and that Siuda House, Burke Library, North residence hall and Kirkland residence hall had been evacuated. The message also relayed that the team was awaiting assessment by the National Grid crew. At 2:33 p.m., Hamilton community members received texts and calls that stated: “ALL CLEAR. National Grid has repaired the leak. Everyone may re-enter the evacuated buildings.”

The Spectator contacted Vige Barrie, Senior Director of Media Relations at the College, for more information on the gas leak. Barrie reported that “the contractor doing work near Burke Library contacted Facilities Management (FM) about the leak. FM then called Campus Safety who contacted Hamilton’s Emergency Response Team. Immediate steps were taken to evacuate nearby facilities…by going through each building and announcing the need to evacuate. This was necessary because triggering fire alarm systems can result in a spark that could ignite natural gas if gas infiltrates the interior of structures.”

When asked which buildings had to be evacuated, Barrie explained that Suida House, Burke Library, North residence hall and Kirkland residence hall are all physically connected to the damaged gas line. Carnegie residence hall, located in close proximity to Burke library, is not physically connected to the ruptured gas line. “Carnegie was downwind enough that ambient natural gas vapors did not impact the building, as was true for the other, closer buildings. We had real time air monitoring equipment on scene that assured flammable vapors were not reaching Carnegie,” Barrie explained.