Wording not preserved
A initial alert message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
FSU
Gas leak, March 28, 2016
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedConfirmed Threat
A research building on Florida State University's campus was evacuated on the afternoon of March 28, 2016, after a 200-pound cylinder of ethylene gas was found slowly leaking at the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy (AME) Building. The Tallahassee Fire Department hazmat team responded and occupants were let back in just after 3:15 p.m.
- Alerts
- 2
- Response
- —
- Killed
- —
- Injured
- —
~42,000 studentsFSU ALERT
Official alert policy
Read when and how FSU says it will use FSU ALERT: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline
Alert Sequence
2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim
Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.
3/28/16 1:40PM - Emergency Services Activity at AME Building, Levy Avenue, SW Campus. Scene secure. No threat to surrounding area.
Verified complete alert text on https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/714507887653965824 (@FSUAlert); archiveUrl null (X status). characterCount=131.
Because the message returns occupants to the building, it is correctly typed all-clear.
Context
Background
The Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy (AME) Building is a research facility shared by the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and stores compressed research gases. On the afternoon of March 28, 2016, WTXL reported that the Tallahassee Fire Department responded around 1 p.m. EDT after a 200-pound cylinder of ethylene gas was found slowly leaking. Hazmat crews secured the cylinder, occupants were temporarily evacuated, and they were let back in just after 3:15 p.m. EDT, with FSU posting updates on Twitter. FSU's emergency-management guidance directs occupants to evacuate and not investigate suspected gas leaks, the posture reflected here. The case adds a confirmed research-gas leak to the archive, distinct from the reported-odor evacuations that often turn up nothing.
Analysis
Key Findings
The leak was a confirmed 200-pound ethylene cylinder slowly venting in the AME research building, not a false alarm
Tallahassee Fire Department hazmat crews secured the cylinder and occupants were back in just after 3:15 p.m. EDT
FSU communicated via Twitter, but the verbatim FSU ALERT text was not published, so both alerts are isVerbatimConfirmed:false
Outcome
The leaking ethylene cylinder was secured by the Tallahassee Fire Department hazmat team. Occupants were temporarily evacuated and allowed back into the building just after 3:15 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Provenance
Sources
- News
- Social
Cite this case
Campus Alert Archive. "Florida State University: Gas leak, March 28, 2016." Incident of March 28, 2016. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/florida-state-university-ame-building-gas-leak-2016-03-28/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.
Tags
gas-leakhazmatfloridatallahasseeresearch-buildingethylene
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion