Leaky gas line prompts South Court residents to clear dorm for 1.5 hours

Firefighters from the city of Richmond responded to a gas leak inside South Court Saturday night that forced students to clear the dorm for about 1.5 hours.

Around 12:45 a.m. officers from the University of Richmond police department allowed residents back into South Court. Residents had been barred from the dorm while the gas cleared the area. Non-sparking fans were to be installed in low-lying areas inside to aid ventilation.

Residents say the fire alarm sounded around 11:20 p.m., prompting an evacuation of the dorm and forcing firefighters to shut down the gas line in the alley between South Court and North Court.

Police Sgt. Jeff Riley said that it did not appear someone had tampered with the gas line, and several residents said they had not smelled natural gas in the dorm before.

Tom Borwick, a South Court resident, said a friend entered his room before the fire alarm went off and noted a strong smell of natural gas. Borwick said that when a police officer shouted from outside asking residents leave the building, he knew the situation was serious.

The campus dealt with a propane explosion May 31, 1995, when a leak in a laundry room outside the 1000 and 1100 blocks of the University Forest Apartments destroyed the building and shattered windows in neighboring apartments. Minor injuries were reported, and damage to apartment 1107 was so serious that the university tore it down.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Contact staff writer Dan Petty at dan.petty@richmond.edu