Gas repairs underway after Bruce Hall, WPU evacuations

The+Cathedral+of+Learning+and+William+Pitt+Union+on+campus.

Kaycee Orwig | Senior Staff Photographer

The Cathedral of Learning and William Pitt Union on campus.

By Martha Layne and Jon Moss

Update: At 6:45 p.m. Pitt reported that People’s Gas fixed the gas line issues and Bruce Hall is considered safe to return to. Students are permitted to return to their rooms in Bruce Hall, and the William Pitt Union will open on Friday. 

People’s Gas is working to repair a gas line in the center of Pitt’s campus after the smell of gas was detected Thursday morning in Bruce Hall, Pitt officials said.

Pitt evacuated several buildings, including Bruce Hall and the William Pitt Union, due to the potential gas leak. University spokesperson David Seldin said People’s, the City Bureau of Fire and multiple Pitt departments are on the scene in Central Oakland. He said People’s has identified the source, which is “external to any Pitt buildings,” and is “working to correct.”

Seldin added that Pitt will allow students back into Bruce Hall and the WPU once clearance is provided. He said there is no danger as the gas line being repaired is secured.

Seldin said students and employees can get further updates by checking emergency.pitt.edu, or following the Pitt police on Twitter or Facebook.