{
  "id": "2016-03-28-florida-state-university-ame-building-gas-leak",
  "slug": "florida-state-university-ame-building-gas-leak-2016-03-28",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Florida State University",
    "shortName": "FSU",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "FSU ALERT",
    "enrollment": 42000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2016-03-28",
    "type": "gas-leak",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "A leaking ethylene gas cylinder empties a research building for about two hours",
    "headlinePublic": "A leaking ethylene gas cylinder empties a research building for about two hours",
    "summary": "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](https://www.wtxl.com/news/tallahassee-fire-department-responds-to-gas-leak-at-fsu/article_27cad656-f527-11e5-bf3b-0f68906f4a1d.html) 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.",
    "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.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early afternoon of March 28, 2016, after the hazmat team responded around 1:00 p.m. EDT",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from WTXL reporting that FSU officials posted updates on Twitter; exact FSU ALERT wording not published",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Just after 3:15 p.m. EDT on March 28, 2016, when occupants were allowed back in",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "3/28/16 1:40PM - Emergency Services Activity at AME Building, Levy Avenue, SW Campus.  Scene secure. No threat to surrounding area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@FSUAlert on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "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."
      ],
      "characterCount": 131,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/714507887653965824",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "confidence": "high",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "context": "The Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy (AME) Building is a research facility shared by the [FAMU-FSU College of Engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAMU-FSU_College_of_Engineering) and stores compressed research gases. On the afternoon of March 28, 2016, [WTXL reported](https://www.wtxl.com/news/tallahassee-fire-department-responds-to-gas-leak-at-fsu/article_27cad656-f527-11e5-bf3b-0f68906f4a1d.html) 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.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "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"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Tallahassee Fire Department Responds to Gas Leak at FSU - WTXL",
      "url": "https://www.wtxl.com/news/tallahassee-fire-department-responds-to-gas-leak-at-fsu/article_27cad656-f527-11e5-bf3b-0f68906f4a1d.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@FSUAlert AME Building scene secure",
      "url": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/714507887653965824"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "gas-leak",
    "hazmat",
    "florida",
    "tallahassee",
    "research-building",
    "ethylene"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}