Strong gas odors were smelled throughout the Engineering Quad A Wing on the morning of April 24, prompting the full evacuation of all Engineering Quad buildings. For about an hour, students, faculty, and staff stood across the street from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as fire crews sought to identify the potential gas leak and work to safely allow everyone back into the buildings.
The leak, however, was not from the gas pipe but from the odorant. Natural gas does not have a smell on its own, so an odorant is usually added to make it smell in the event of a leak. In this case, it was the odorant itself that leaked.
University fire marshal Joseph Novak explained how fire trucks from the towns of Princeton, Plainsboro, and West Windsor were all called to the scene “because of the size of the buildings and the amount of fans we would need [for ventilation].”
After occupants evacuated the building, initial readings showed no signs of a gas leak other than an odor. The cause of this stench was found to be odorant that was added to the gas.
“Before we determined that the cause was just the odor of the chemical, they were going up to the roof to check the air handlers on the roof,” Novak said. “The fire department stayed, ventilated, and made sure the smell went away.”
Before leaving the premises, the fire department reset the fire alarm, permitting building re-occupancy.
Hannah Even ’25 was preparing for office hours before being evacuated.
“I was waiting outside the room, and the alarm went off,” Even said. “I sat down and did work outside for probably an hour until at least 10:30.”
“I think most people were just outside, talking, and I think the story got around pretty quickly that someone smelled gas,” Even said.
This event occurred two days after a small mulch fire outside Firestone Library, which also led to the evacuation of the building.
Andrew Bosworth is the Research Editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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