Campus Alert Archive
KSU

A Cracked Gas Line and a Mis-Capped Sulfur Compound Empty Cunningham Hall

OHgas leakemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On July 30, 2014, staff at Kent State smelled an odor around 11:30 a.m. EDT and Kent firefighters evacuated about 100 people from Cunningham Hall and its annex. Investigators found a small crack in a two-inch natural gas line to a rooftop generator, while the original odor was separately traced to a science lab where a sulfur compound had not been capped correctly. Repairs were finished and the evacuation lifted around 3 p.m. with no injuries.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Kent State University
Public R1 · OH
~28,000 studentsFlash ALERTS
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 reconstruction140 chars
KSU Advisory: Cunningham Hall and Cunningham Hall Annex are closed due to a gas line crack. Please avoid the buildings until further notice.

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

Reconstructed from KentWired's report that a KSU Advisory went out around 12:50 p.m. EDT saying Cunningham Hall and its annex would be closed due to a gas line crack; the exact wording was not recoverable.
About 100 people had already been evacuated by Kent firefighters when the odor was reported around 11:30 a.m. EDT.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction113 chars
KSU Advisory: All clear. Repairs to the gas line at Cunningham Hall are complete and the buildings have reopened.

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

KentWired reported the evacuation was lifted at approximately 3 p.m. EDT after repairs; the verbatim closing advisory could not be retrieved.
This message reopens the buildings, so it is a genuine all-clear rather than a status update.
Context

Background

Cunningham Hall houses science laboratories on Kent State's main campus. According to Kent State's own account and KentWired, staff smelled an odor around 11:30 a.m. EDT on July 30, 2014, and Kent firefighters evacuated about 100 people from Cunningham Hall and its annex as a precaution. Firefighters and investigators from Dominion East Ohio found a small crack in a two-inch natural gas line serving a rooftop generator. Notably, the odor that first prompted the evacuation was unrelated: it came from a science lab where a sulfur compound had not been capped correctly. Repairs were completed and the evacuation lifted around 3 p.m. EDT. The case is a useful example of a 'two-cause' incident in which the trigger smell and the actual gas leak turned out to be separate problems.
Analysis

Key Findings

About 100 people were evacuated from Cunningham Hall and its annex after staff reported an odor around 11:30 a.m. EDT
Investigators found a cracked two-inch gas line, while the triggering odor came separately from an improperly capped sulfur compound in a lab
The evacuation was lifted around 3 p.m. EDT with no injuries
Both alert texts are honest reconstructions; the official Kent State alert wording could not be retrieved, so neither is marked verbatim
Outcome
Gas line repaired; evacuation lifted around 3 p.m. EDT. No injuries or road closures.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Minor Gas Leak Repaired at Cunningham Hall - Kent State University
    kent.edu
  2. Student Paper
    Gas leak stopped, Cunningham Hall now safe - KentWired
    kentwired.com
  3. News
    Update: KSU building closed due to gas leak - Cleveland 19 News
    cleveland19.com
Tags
gas-leakevacuationohiolaboratoryemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion