Campus Alert Archive
WVU

An 'Abundance of Caution' Empties a WVU Hospital Building Over a Morning Gas Leak

WVgas leakemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Early on Thursday, May 9, 2024, a localized gas leak prompted West Virginia University to issue a WVU Alert evacuating the Health Sciences Center-North building on the Morgantown health-sciences campus. University Police Chief Sherry St. Clair said the evacuation was "out of an abundance of caution" to let utility crews address the leak. After Hope Gas, WVU Environmental Health and Safety, and Facilities Management worked the scene, an all-clear was issued after 11 a.m. and people were allowed to return.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
West Virginia University
Public R1 · WV
~26,000 studentsWVU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstructionWVU Today official update — reconstructed206 chars
WVU Alert: Health Sciences Center-North is being evacuated due to a reported gas leak. Leave the building now and move to a safe distance. Avoid the area while crews investigate. More information to follow.

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

Reconstructed from WVU Today's official account that a WVU Alert announced the evacuation of Health Sciences Center-North following a localized gas leak identified in the early-morning hours; the exact alert text is not confirmed verbatim, so isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
Health Sciences Center-North is a real building on WVU's Morgantown health-sciences campus, adjacent to hospital operations, which raised the stakes of a gas leak there.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstructionWV MetroNews — reconstructed200 chars
WVU Alert: All clear. The reported gas leak at Health Sciences Center-North has been addressed and the building is safe to reenter. Employees, students and others may return. Resume normal activities.

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

Reconstructed all-clear: WVU Today and WV MetroNews reported the all-clear was issued after 11 a.m. and people were permitted to return; the exact wording is not confirmed verbatim.
This is a genuine all-clear — it confirms the hazard was resolved and authorizes reentry — closing a precautionary evacuation that University Police framed as 'an abundance of caution.'
Context

Background

West Virginia University's Health Sciences campus in Morgantown houses the Health Sciences Center-North building amid active hospital and clinical operations. On Thursday, May 9, 2024, a gas leak identified in the early-morning hours prompted a WVU Alert evacuating HSC-North. University Police Chief Sherry St. Clair described the evacuation as 'out of an abundance of caution' to let utility crews work efficiently, with Hope Gas, WVU Environmental Health and Safety, and Facilities Management responding. The all-clear came after 11 a.m., and occupants returned. The case is a clean academic-health-center gas-leak example: a confirmed leak in a building tied to hospital functions triggers a precautionary evacuation and a multi-agency utility response, then a same-morning all-clear once the line is secured.
Analysis

Key Findings

The evacuation was explicitly precautionary — University Police framed it as 'an abundance of caution' — even though it involved a confirmed gas leak rather than a mere odor report
The setting (an academic health center adjacent to hospital operations) raises the stakes of any gas leak, requiring coordination among UPD, the gas utility, EH&S, and Facilities
The full cycle resolved the same morning, with the all-clear after 11 a.m. authorizing reentry
Outcome
No injuries reported. The leak was addressed by utility crews and an all-clear was issued after 11 a.m.; occupants returned to the building.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    UPDATE: All clear issued after gas leak leads to precautionary evacuation at WVU HSC-North
    wvutoday.wvu.edu
  2. News
    All-clear given at WVU Health Sciences Center-North following gas leak
    wvmetronews.com
  3. Student Paper
    Health Sciences North evacuated following reported gas leak, all clear issued
    thedaonline.com
Tags
gas-leakwest-virginiamorgantownhealth-sciencesevacuationacademic-health-centeremergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion