Campus Alert Archive
UWM

Headaches at the Front Desk: A Carbon Monoxide Leak Sends 17 Cambridge Commons Students to the Hospital

WIhazmatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the night of Monday, February 28, 2022, students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Cambridge Commons residence hall began arriving at the front desk complaining of headaches, dizziness and nausea. Firefighters found elevated carbon monoxide levels and ordered the building evacuated around 10 p.m., tracing the likely source to a basement boiler on the north end of the building. About 400 students were evacuated and 17 were taken to area hospitals; the incident later prompted UW System schools to review residence-hall carbon monoxide detection statewide.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Public R1 · WI
~24,000 studentsUWM Safe / S.A.F.E.
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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction189 chars
UWM Alert: Evacuate Cambridge Commons immediately due to elevated carbon monoxide levels. Leave the building now and move to a safe location away from the hall. Do not return until cleared.

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

Reconstructed because the verbatim alert was not published; reporting confirmed firefighters ordered an evacuation around 10 p.m. after measuring elevated carbon monoxide.
The hazard was first detected through students reporting symptoms at the front desk rather than by a fixed alarm, which is why coverage emphasized the absence of detectors in the affected area.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction290 chars
Update: The carbon monoxide source in Cambridge Commons has been traced to a boiler in the basement. Affected students have been transported for medical evaluation. The building remains evacuated while crews ventilate and verify safe air levels. Housing staff will share return information.

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

Classified as update rather than all-clear because the building remained evacuated while crews ventilated it; the message conveyed the identified source and ongoing remediation rather than declaring it safe.
The basement-boiler source and the count of 17 hospitalized students are preserved from local reporting and are specific to this incident.
Context

Background

Cambridge Commons is a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee residence hall housing several hundred students. On the night of Monday, February 28, 2022, students began coming to the front desk with headaches, dizziness and other symptoms, prompting housing staff to call for help. Firefighters assessed the building, found elevated carbon monoxide and ordered an evacuation around 10 p.m., eventually identifying a basement boiler on the north end as the likely source. Roughly 400 students were evacuated and 17 were taken to hospitals for exposure. Subsequent reporting found the affected area lacked carbon monoxide detectors, and UW System institutions began reviewing residence-hall carbon monoxide detection statewide in the aftermath. The episode is a reminder that the most dangerous campus hazards are sometimes invisible and odorless, detected only when people start feeling sick.
Analysis

Key Findings

The carbon monoxide leak was discovered through students reporting symptoms at the front desk, not by a fixed alarm, because the affected area lacked CO detectors
Roughly 400 students were evacuated and 17 hospitalized, making this one of the larger campus carbon monoxide exposure events in recent Wisconsin history
The incident prompted UW System schools to review residence-hall carbon monoxide detection statewide, a systemic policy response to a single-building failure
Outcome
About 400 students were evacuated from Cambridge Commons and 17 were transported to hospitals for carbon monoxide exposure. The likely source was identified as a basement boiler. Reporting noted the affected area lacked carbon monoxide detectors, and the UW System reviewed dorm CO detection statewide afterward.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    More than a dozen UWM students taken to area hospitals after exposure to carbon monoxide at residence hall - CBS58
    cbs58.com
  2. News
    UWM dorm evacuated after carbon monoxide leak, students taken to hospital - TMJ4
    tmj4.com
  3. News
    No Detectors In UWM Carbon Monoxide Leak That Hospitalized 17 - Patch
    patch.com
  4. Official
    Cambridge Commons carbon monoxide leak - UWM Report
    uwm.edu
Tags
hazmatcarbon-monoxidewisconsinmilwaukeeresidence-hallevacuationpublic-r1emergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion