Campus Alert Archive
UMN

A Gasoline Spill in the Sewer Line Blew Manhole Covers Out of the Street and Forced Evacuations Across Fraternity Row at the University of Minnesota

MNgas leakemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

Just before 3:00 PM CDT on Thursday, June 30, 2022, Minneapolis Fire crews responded to a fire in the basement of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house at 17th Avenue Southeast and University Avenue near the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. While crews fought the basement fire, a series of underground explosions blew multiple manhole covers off University Avenue. Officials determined the cause was a gasoline spill that had migrated into the sewer line and ignited. UMN SAFE-U pushed evacuation orders covering several blocks of Fraternity Row; those needing temporary shelter were directed to Northrop Auditorium. Minneapolis Fire gave the all-clear at approximately 9:00 PM CDT.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Public R1 · MN
~54,000 studentsSAFE-U
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimSAFE-U Emergency notification archived by UMN Department of Public Safety; sent at 3:22 PM CDT on June 30, 2022195 chars
ANY RESIDENTS ALONG UNIVERSITY WHO HAVE BEEN DISPLACED BY THE EXPLOSION AND EVACUATION MAY REPORT TO NORTHROP AUDITORIUM FOR SHELTER (84 CHURCH ST SE). USE THE EAST GROUND ENTRANCE OFF OF CHURCH.
Posted at 3:22 PM CDT — about 22 minutes after Minneapolis Fire crews arrived at the Delta Tau Delta basement fire and the underground manhole explosions occurred
All-caps formatting throughout, characteristic of older SAFE-U emergency posts at UMN
Specifies a precise shelter address (84 Church St SE) and the exact entrance ('east ground entrance off of Church') — high-precision logistics for an evacuation in a dense urban campus
References both 'the explosion' (singular dramatic event) and 'evacuation' (the resulting institutional response) — consolidates two phases of the incident in one sentence
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction223 chars
SAFE-U Update: Evacuation zone expanded to include buildings between 15th Ave SE and Oak St SE, and from Pillsbury Dr SE to 4th St SE. Continue to avoid the area. Minneapolis Fire investigating gasoline spill in sewer line.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The expanded evacuation zone reflected the discovery that gasoline had migrated through the sewer line under multiple blocks
UMN officials pushed the update once the evacuation footprint grew to additional blocks
MPR News specifically attributed the cause to 'a gasoline spill that had leaked into the sewer line'
ALL CLEARSMS+5h 36m
Verified verbatimSAFE-U Emergency notification archived by UMN Department of Public Safety; sent at 8:58 PM CDT on June 30, 2022, as quoted in search result snippets from the official UMN DPS page193 chars
Update for the fire/gas leak in the 1700 block of University Ave SE - The Minneapolis Fire Department has provided the all clear for the University to reopen facilities evacuated earlier today.
Verbatim from the SAFE-U Emergency archived notification at publicsafety.umn.edu/safe-u-emergency-1700-blk-univ-av-se; timestamp was 8:58 PM CDT on June 30, 2022.
Minneapolis Fire issued the all-clear at approximately 8:58 PM CDT — about 6 hours after the initial evacuation
UMN suffered a second sewer-gas leak only weeks later in August 2022, suggesting underlying utility issues
Context

Background

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the flagship campus of the University of Minnesota system, a public R1 research university with approximately 54,000 students. On the afternoon of Thursday, June 30, 2022, just before 3:00 PM CDT, Minneapolis Fire crews responded to a fire in the basement of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house at 17th Avenue Southeast and University Avenue. As crews battled the basement fire, a series of underground explosions blew multiple manhole covers off University Avenue nearby. Crews from the Minneapolis Fire Department arrived to find heavy smoke and flames, and quickly determined the cause was a gasoline spill that had migrated into the sewer line and ignited. UMN's SAFE-U emergency notification system pushed evacuation orders covering several blocks of Fraternity Row on University Avenue, with the evacuation zone eventually expanding to include buildings between 15th Avenue SE and Oak Street SE and from Pillsbury Drive SE to 4th Street SE. Those needing temporary shelter were directed to the east ground entrance of Northrop Auditorium. Minneapolis Fire crews washed out the sewer line and gave the all-clear at approximately 9:00 PM CDT — roughly six hours after the initial evacuation. No injuries were reported. The case is significant because it captures one of the rarer university gas-emergency scenarios: a hydrocarbon-fueled underground sewer fire spanning multiple blocks of campus, requiring the coordinated evacuation of fraternity houses, university residences, and academic buildings simultaneously. UMN suffered a second sewer-gas leak in August 2022, suggesting persistent underlying utility issues in the campus's century-old sewer infrastructure.
Analysis

Key Findings

Minneapolis Fire crews responded to a basement fire at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house at 17th Ave SE and University Ave just before 3:00 PM CDT on June 30, 2022
While crews fought the basement fire, multiple manhole covers were blown out of University Avenue by underground explosions
The cause was a gasoline spill that had migrated into the sewer line and ignited
UMN's SAFE-U system evacuated several blocks of Fraternity Row, eventually expanding to a multi-block zone
Northrop Auditorium's east ground entrance served as the temporary shelter
Minneapolis Fire issued the all-clear at approximately 9:00 PM CDT, roughly six hours after the initial evacuation
No injuries were reported
UMN suffered a second sewer-gas leak in August 2022, indicating persistent campus utility infrastructure issues
Outcome
Minneapolis Fire crews washed out the sewer line, determining gasoline had somehow leaked or spilled into it and ignited. No injuries were reported. UMN evacuated buildings between 15th Avenue SE and Oak Street SE, and from Pillsbury Drive SE to 4th Street SE. Northrop Auditorium served as the temporary shelter. Minneapolis Fire issued the all-clear at approximately 9:00 PM CDT, allowing residents back into university-owned buildings.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Several blocks of University Avenue near U evacuated as precaution after fire - Star Tribune
    startribune.com
  2. News
    Officials: Minneapolis Fire gives 'all clear' after gas leak prompts evacuations - KARE 11
    kare11.com
  3. News
    Sewer explosion forces evacuations near University of Minnesota - Fox 9
    fox9.com
  4. News
    MFD investigating possible gas spill in sewer line, fire in U of M frat house - KSTP
    kstp.com
  5. Student Paper
    BREAKING: Residences along University Avenue evacuated after fire and explosion - The Minnesota Daily
    mndaily.com
  6. News
    Fire, gas leak fear force evacuations from U Twin Cities buildings; no injuries - MPR News
    mprnews.org
  7. News
    University of Minnesota Minneapolis suffers second sewer gas leak in weeks - Underground Construction
    undergroundinfrastructure.com
  8. Official
    SAFE-U Emergency - UMN Department of Public Safety
    publicsafety.umn.edu
Tags
gas-leaksewer-explosionminnesotaminneapolisuniversity-of-minnesotafraternity-rowmanhole-explosiongasoline-spillnorthrop-auditoriumpublic-r1urban-campus
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion