Campus Alert Archive
WVU

Campus Drive Gas Leak Closes Life Sciences Building as WVU Alert System Activates Between Semesters

WVgas leakemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 7, 2025, West Virginia University issued a WVU Alert following a gas leak along Campus Drive near the Downtown area. The Life Sciences Building was closed and Campus Drive was shut down between Beechurst Avenue and University Avenue. Hope Gas crews repaired the leak and an all-clear was issued the same day.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
West Virginia University
Public R1 · WV
~25,000 studentsWVU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Verified verbatimWVU Today / WVU Safety and Wellness official announcement (verbatim WVU Alert text)210 chars
West Virginia University issued a WVU Alert following a reported gas leak Tuesday (Jan. 7) along Campus Drive near the Downtown area of campus. The road is closed between Beechurst Avenue and University Avenue.
Verbatim from the WVU Today and Safety and Wellness announcement page that publishes the WVU Alert text
University Police cleared and secured the Life Sciences Building as a precautionary measure following this initial alert
The timing between semesters — spring classes didn't begin until January 13 — limited the number of affected students and faculty
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Verified verbatimWVU Today / WVU Safety and Wellness official update announcement (verbatim WVU Alert all-clear text)236 chars
West Virginia University issued an "all clear" message for a return to normal activities following confirmation to University Police that the gas leak reported on Campus Drive near the Downtown area of campus Tuesday (Jan. 7) was fixed.
Verbatim text from the WVU Today/Safety and Wellness 'UPDATE: WVU Alert ends following gas leak repair' update
The all-clear confirmed that Hope Gas completed the repair and Campus Drive was reopened
WVU Chief of Police Sherry St. Clair issued a public statement asking the community to avoid the area during repair
Context

Background

On January 7, 2025, West Virginia University issued a WVU Alert following a reported gas leak on Campus Drive near the Downtown area of the Morgantown campus. Out of an abundance of caution, the Life Sciences Building was closed after University Police cleared and secured the building. Campus Drive between Beechurst Avenue and University Avenue was closed to traffic while Hope Gas crews worked to repair the leak. WVU Chief of Police Sherry St. Clair asked the community to avoid the area. The Daily Athenaeum student newspaper covered the incident. The timing was fortunate — spring semester classes didn't begin until January 13, limiting the number of affected community members. The WVU Safety and Wellness office archived the full alert sequence.
Analysis

Key Findings

The gas leak occurred between semesters, limiting the impact on students and faculty — an illustration of how timing affects emergency severity
WVU's three-tiered emergency notification system (WVU Alert, Crime Alert, Safety Notice) was used at its highest tier for this infrastructure incident
WVU's Safety and Wellness office maintains a public archive of all emergency notifications
Outcome
Hope Gas crews repaired the gas leak. Campus Drive was reopened and the Life Sciences Building returned to normal operating hours. No injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    WVU Alert issued following reported gas leak (WVU Today)
    wvutoday.wvu.edu
  2. Official
    WVU Alert (WVU Safety and Wellness)
    safety.wvu.edu
  3. News
    Gas leak reported near WVU's downtown campus (WCHS)
    wchstv.com
  4. News
    All Clear issued after gas leak near WVU campus (WDTV)
    wdtv.com
  5. Student Paper
    WVU Alert issued following Campus Drive gas leak (Daily Athenaeum)
    thedaonline.com
Tags
gas-leakinfrastructurewest-virginiabuilding-closureroad-closurebetween-semestershope-gas
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion