{
  "id": "2025-10-13-auburn-university-gogue-gas-leak",
  "slug": "auburn-university-gogue-gas-leak-2025-10-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Auburn University",
    "shortName": "Auburn",
    "state": "AL",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "AU ALERT",
    "enrollment": 33000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-10-13",
    "type": "gas-leak",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Excavator strikes a main gas line, closing an adjacent street for the morning",
    "headlinePublic": "Excavator strikes a main gas line, closing an adjacent street for the morning",
    "summary": "On the morning of [Monday, October 13, 2025, an excavator struck a main gas line near the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center](https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2025/10/gas-leak-reported-near-the-gogue) on Auburn University's campus, prompting an [AU Alert sent at 9:08 AM CDT](https://www.wtvm.com/2025/10/13/gas-leak-fixed-near-gogue-performing-arts-center-auburn/). Auburn closed South College Street from Woodfield Drive while Auburn Fire and Police responded. The leak was [resolved later that morning](https://oanow.com/news/local/article_63a8a917-bf2c-42be-85e7-916de20751a0.html) and the road reopened.",
    "outcome": "Auburn Fire and Police responded and isolated the gas leak. South College Street was closed from Woodfield Drive during the response. The leak was resolved later that morning, and the road reopened. No injuries were reported, and no buildings on campus were evacuated.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-10-13T09:08:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Urgent AU Alert There is a gas leak near Gouge Performing Arts Center. An excavator hit a main gas line. The road is Closed from Woodfield to South College Street. Auburn Fire and Police Department on scene. Stay clear of the area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2025/10/gas-leak-reported-near-the-gogue",
      "sourceDescription": "The Auburn Plainsman reporting verbatim AU Alert at 9:08 AM CDT, October 13, 2025",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim AU Alert text as quoted by The Auburn Plainsman; preserves the original misspelling 'Gouge' for 'Gogue' and the inconsistent capitalization ('Closed') of the original SMS",
        "The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center opened in 2019 as Auburn's premier performance venue and frequently hosts students in adjacent buildings",
        "An excavator strike on a main gas line is a recurring source of urban-edge campus gas emergencies. Auburn had construction underway near the venue"
      ],
      "characterCount": 231
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Late morning of October 13, 2025 CDT",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from WTVM and Opelika-Auburn News reporting on the same-morning resolution and road reopening on October 13, 2025",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Auburn University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_University) is a public R1 land-grant university in Auburn, Alabama, with approximately 33,000 students. The [Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center](https://goguecenter.auburn.edu/) opened in 2019 as Auburn's premier performance venue, located on South College Street near the southern edge of campus. On the morning of [Monday, October 13, 2025, an excavator struck a main gas line during construction work near the Gogue Performing Arts Center](https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2025/10/gas-leak-reported-near-the-gogue), prompting an [AU Alert sent at 9:08 AM CDT](https://www.wtvm.com/2025/10/13/gas-leak-fixed-near-gogue-performing-arts-center-auburn/). Auburn University closed South College Street from Woodfield Drive while [Auburn Fire and Police Department responded and isolated the leak](https://oanow.com/news/local/article_63a8a917-bf2c-42be-85e7-916de20751a0.html). The leak was resolved later that morning, and the road reopened. No injuries were reported, and no buildings on campus were evacuated. The case is significant because it documents a campus gas leak handled exclusively through road closure and area-avoidance (without building evacuation) illustrating the spectrum of university gas-emergency responses depending on leak severity, weather, and proximity to occupied structures. Auburn's [utility-emergency procedures explicitly require AU Alert notification](https://www.auburn.edu/administration/campus-safety/emergency/utilities_emergencies.php) for any gas leak that affects campus operations.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "An excavator struck a main gas line near the Gogue Performing Arts Center on the morning of October 13, 2025",
    "AU Alert was issued at 9:08 AM CDT on October 13, 2025 directing the campus community to avoid the area",
    "Auburn Fire and Police closed South College Street from Woodfield Drive during the response",
    "The leak was resolved later that morning and the road reopened",
    "No injuries were reported and no buildings on campus required evacuation",
    "The incident illustrates campus gas-emergency responses where road closure suffices without building evacuation",
    "Auburn's utility-emergency procedures explicitly require AU Alert notification for gas leaks"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Gas leak reported near the Gogue - The Auburn Plainsman",
      "url": "https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2025/10/gas-leak-reported-near-the-gogue",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Gas leak fixed near Gogue Performing Arts Center in Auburn - WTVM",
      "url": "https://www.wtvm.com/2025/10/13/gas-leak-fixed-near-gogue-performing-arts-center-auburn/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Updated | Gas leak near the Gogue Center, residents told to avoid the area, AU says - Opelika-Auburn News",
      "url": "https://oanow.com/news/local/article_63a8a917-bf2c-42be-85e7-916de20751a0.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Utility Emergencies - Auburn University Campus Safety and Security",
      "url": "https://www.auburn.edu/administration/campus-safety/emergency/utilities_emergencies.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University",
      "url": "https://goguecenter.auburn.edu/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "gas-leak",
    "alabama",
    "auburn-university",
    "gogue-performing-arts-center",
    "excavator-strike",
    "road-closure",
    "au-alert",
    "no-evacuation",
    "public-r1",
    "land-grant"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}