Campus Alert Archive
Georgetown

A Refrigerant Leak Off-Campus Edge Triggers an Hour-Long Shelter-in-Place

DCgas leakemergency notificationmedium confidence

A refrigerant leak in a structure in the 1200 block of 35th Street NW prompted Georgetown University to issue a shelter-in-place around 7:30 PM on December 9, 2024. D.C. Fire and EMS evacuated the affected building and ventilated it; the shelter-in-place was lifted about an hour later with no injuries or illnesses reported.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Georgetown University
Private R1 · DC
HOYAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction156 chars
HOYAlert: Shelter in place due to a hazardous materials incident in the area of 35th Street NW. Stay indoors, close windows, and await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed paraphrase: outlets reported Georgetown issued a shelter-in-place around 7:30 PM EST after the refrigerant leak, but no source published the verbatim HOYAlert text.
The hazard was a refrigerant release — a confined-space asphyxiation and irritant risk — which is why the response was shelter-in-place plus targeted evacuation rather than a broad campus evacuation.
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction140 chars
HOYAlert: The shelter in place has been lifted. The hazardous materials incident has been resolved and it is safe to resume normal activity.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed close-paraphrase: reporting confirmed the order was lifted about an hour after issuance once the leak was controlled and the structure ventilated.
This is a true all-clear because it explicitly lifts the shelter-in-place and says it is safe to resume normal activity.
Context

Background

Around 7 PM EST on Monday, December 9, 2024, D.C. Fire and EMS were called to investigate an odor in the 1200 block of 35th Street NW, on the edge of Georgetown University's campus, after refrigerant leaked in a structure, WJLA reported. The affected building was evacuated, and the university issued a campus shelter-in-place around 7:30 PM, 7News DC reported. Crews controlled the leak and ventilated the structure, and the shelter-in-place was lifted about an hour later. No injuries or illnesses were reported. Refrigerant leaks are a recurring confined-space hazard around mechanical and lab cold-storage equipment, capable of displacing oxygen and irritating airways.
Analysis

Key Findings

A refrigerant leak in a single structure was enough to trigger a campus-wide shelter-in-place at an urban R1 university
The response paired a targeted building evacuation with a broader shelter-in-place, then ventilated the structure
The shelter-in-place lasted roughly an hour, from about 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST, before a clear all-clear
No injuries or illnesses were reported despite the asphyxiation potential of a confined-space refrigerant release
Outcome
D.C. Fire and EMS evacuated the affected building, controlled the leak, and ventilated the structure. The university shelter-in-place was lifted roughly an hour after it was issued, with no injuries or illnesses.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Georgetown University shelter-in-place lifted after reported chemical leak - WJLA
    wjla.com
  2. News
    Georgetown University issued a shelter in place Monday after a reported chemical leak - 7News DC
    facebook.com
Tags
refrigerant-leakgas-leakshelter-in-placehazmatdistrict-of-columbiaemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion