Campus Alert Archive
Hood

Semester Ends Early for 154 Students After Boiler Fills Smith Hall with Carbon Monoxide

MDhazmatemergency notificationmedium confidence

In early December 2023, Smith Hall at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland was evacuated twice over two days after a malfunctioning boiler pushed carbon monoxide into the residence hall housing 154 students. One student was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning, and the hall was closed for the remainder of the fall semester for boiler repairs and inspections. The incident exposed a gap in detection: trace CO levels were confirmed in parts of the building despite campus CO detectors triggering the first evacuation.

Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Hood College
Private Liberal Arts · MD
Hood College Campus Safety
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 reconstruction223 chars
Hood College Alert: Smith Hall is being evacuated due to a possible carbon monoxide issue. All residents must leave the building immediately and proceed to the designated assembly area. Do not re-enter until further notice.

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

The first evacuation of Smith Hall occurred in the early morning hours of Friday December 8 after the boiler began emitting smoke; this sequence represents the initial emergency notification to 154 residents.
The building houses 154 students next to the Hood College chapel; the boiler had been causing intermittent problems before the carbon monoxide was confirmed.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction370 chars
Hood College Update: Smith Hall has been evacuated again following confirmation that one student was diagnosed with carbon monoxide exposure. Trace levels of carbon monoxide have been found in certain areas of the building. The building will remain closed while repairs are made and air quality is verified. Residents should contact Housing for temporary accommodations.

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

The second evacuation was triggered on Saturday morning December 9 after it became known that one student had been diagnosed with carbon monoxide exposure from the building.
Trace CO levels were confirmed in a couple of spaces, described as 'slightly elevated but within a range deemed acceptable' by officials -- yet one student was still clinically diagnosed with poisoning, underscoring the risk even at sub-alarm levels.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction364 chars
Hood College Update: Smith Hall will remain closed for the remainder of the fall 2023 semester to allow for boiler repairs and safety inspections. Residents should retrieve essential belongings and contact the Office of Residence Life for housing accommodations. We will communicate a reopening timeline for the spring semester once repairs are confirmed complete.

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

The semester-end closure was the resolution to the incident: rather than reopening during the fall semester, Hood College decided to keep Smith Hall closed while completing boiler repairs and safety inspections.
This is classified as all-clear in the sense that the immediate emergency danger was resolved, though for residents it meant an early forced departure from on-campus housing for the rest of the semester.
Context

Background

Smith Hall is a residence hall at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, situated next to the campus chapel and housing approximately 154 students. In early December 2023, a malfunctioning boiler began emitting smoke and carbon monoxide. The building was first evacuated in the early morning hours of Friday December 8, and evacuated again on Saturday December 9 after the college learned that one student had been diagnosed with carbon monoxide exposure. Environmental testing found trace CO levels in certain parts of the building, described as slightly elevated but within a range officials deemed acceptable -- a characterization disputed by the student's diagnosis. Hood College ultimately closed Smith Hall for the rest of the fall 2023 semester for boiler repair and comprehensive safety inspections. The incident illustrates a recurring theme in campus CO cases: malfunctioning heating equipment in older dormitory buildings creates invisible hazards, and the threshold between 'trace acceptable levels' and dangerous exposure is uncomfortably narrow when students are sleeping in the affected space.
Analysis

Key Findings

Smith Hall at Hood College was evacuated twice in two days after a boiler malfunction sent carbon monoxide into the building housing 154 students.
One student was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning even though officials described trace CO levels in the building as within an 'acceptable range,' highlighting the risk even at sub-alarm concentrations.
Hood College closed Smith Hall for the remainder of the fall 2023 semester, displacing all 154 residents early, while the boiler was repaired and safety inspections completed.
The episode is part of a documented pattern of boiler-related CO incidents in older campus dormitories where aging heating systems lack adequate CO detection.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Hood College students exposed to carbon monoxide after boiler malfunction - Frederick News-Post
    fredericknewspost.com
  2. advocacy
    Carbon Monoxide in Student Housing: The Overlooked Student Safety Risk - Carbon Monoxide in Schools
    carbonmonoxideinschools.org
Tags
hazmatcarbon-monoxidemarylandfredrickresidence-hallevacuationboilerprivate-liberal-artsemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion