Campus Alert Archive
MC

Construction Crew Strikes Gas Line at Mississippi College, Forcing Evacuation of Alumni Hall and the Baptist Healthplex for One Hour

MSgas leakadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of October 23, 2025, a construction crew working on campus at Mississippi College in Clinton accidentally struck a natural gas line, forcing the evacuation of Alumni Hall and the Baptist Healthplex around 11:00 AM CST. Atmos Energy responded to repair the damaged line, and the area was cleared around noon with all occupants able to return, and no injuries reported.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Mississippi College
Private Masters · MS
~5,000 students
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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction257 chars
MC ALERT: Due to a gas leak caused by construction activity near Alumni Hall, Alumni Hall and the Baptist Healthplex are being evacuated immediately. Please exit these buildings and move away from the area. Atmos Energy has been called. Updates will follow.

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

Evacuation began around 11 AM CST on October 23, 2025, after a construction crew struck a natural gas line in the area of Alumni Hall
Both Alumni Hall and the Baptist Healthplex were evacuated as a precaution due to the gas leak
Atmos Energy was dispatched to assess and repair the damaged line
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction242 chars
MC ALERT UPDATE: The gas leak near Alumni Hall has been repaired by Atmos Energy. The area has been cleared and is safe. Alumni Hall and the Baptist Healthplex are now open. You may return to your normal activities. No injuries were reported.

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

Area cleared around noon CST, approximately one hour after the initial evacuation
Mississippi College COO/CFO Laura Jackson confirmed: 'We reacted quickly and the buildings were evacuated and everyone is safe'
Atmos Energy completed emergency repairs to the damaged gas line
Context

Background

Mississippi College, the oldest college in Mississippi, is a private Christian liberal arts institution in Clinton, Mississippi. On the morning of October 23, 2025, a construction crew performing work on campus accidentally struck a natural gas line in the area of Alumni Hall, causing a leak that required immediate evacuation of Alumni Hall and the adjacent Baptist Healthplex. Both buildings were evacuated around 11 AM CST. Atmos Energy, the natural gas utility serving the Clinton area, dispatched technicians to assess the damage and repair the ruptured line. The college's chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Laura Jackson, later confirmed to local media: "We reacted quickly and the buildings were evacuated and everyone is safe." The area was cleared by approximately noon CST -- approximately one hour after the evacuation began -- and all occupants were allowed to return. No injuries were reported. The incident is a common type of campus infrastructure emergency: contractor-caused utility strikes during campus construction or renovation projects, which can create sudden natural gas hazards requiring rapid evacuation of nearby structures.
Outcome
Alumni Hall and Baptist Healthplex evacuated around 11 AM. Atmos Energy dispatched to repair the damaged gas line. Area cleared and occupants allowed to return approximately one hour later, around noon. No injuries reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Mississippi College buildings evacuated after gas leak (WLBT)
    wlbt.com
  2. News
    Gas leak leads to evacuations at Mississippi College (WJTV)
    wjtv.com
Tags
gas-leakconstruction-accidentevacuationmississippiprivate-collegeclinton
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion