A portion of the Boston University sociology building located on Cummington Street was evacuated Monday morning after a natural gas odor from a boiler permeated the building.
The BU Police Department, Boston Fire Department, BU Buildings and Grounds and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety arrived on the scene around 9:20 a.m. and determined that the odor was a result of a ‘faulty’ pilot light in the building’s furnace room, officials said.
BUPD Sergeant Daniel Healy said the light on the boiler should go on as the boiler turns on, but if there’s a problem with it, a gas odor can occur.’
BU Buildings and Grounds ventilated the building, from 98 to 100 Cummington St., with fans and people were allowed to re-enter the building at approximately 10 a.m., he said.
Healy said failures in the boiler system are not typical.’
‘It’s unusual,’ Healy said. ‘These systems are maintained by professional heating and ventilation people in the Buildings and Grounds department. We have professionals and they respond properly and deal with it.”
A similar evacuation occurred last March, when BUPD and BFD responded to the smell of gas at Myles Standish Hall, according to a March 31 Daily Free Press article. The smell turned out to be heating fuel, and BUEHS ventilated the building before allowing students back inside.
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