Following an Escondido Village gas leak, authorities closed down portions of Campus Drive and shut off gas service in two East Campus graduate residences Tuesday afternoon, according to a series of AlertSU emergency reports.
Around 5:15 p.m., the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) announced that the leak had been repaired, and that the nearby roads would soon reopen to traffic.
SUDPS spokesperson Bill Larson said that the gas leak occurred in the Escondido Village Graduate Residence construction area, close to the intersection of Serra Street and Campus Drive. While a heavy machinery operator was digging as part of the construction work, according to Larson, it struck a pipe.
The report advised residents living in Studio 2, Quillen Highrise and Blackwelder Highrise — all apartment-style graduate residences within Escondido Village — to stay inside or to leave their residences via Escondido Road. Gas services have been shut down in Studio 2 and Quillen.
A portion of Campus Drive, stretching from Escondido Road to Maples Pavilion, was shut down. Pampas Lane, a small road just north of Escondido Village, was also closed to traffic.
The AlertSU report advised individuals to “avoid the area.” Commuters, according to the report, were instructed to depart campus from Bowdoin Street as opposed to Campus Drive. It also advised residents in Escondido Village not to use “grills, power tools or any open flame due to ongoing repairs.”
This article has been updated with comment from Bill Larson.
Contact Courtney Douglas at ccdouglas ‘at’ stanford.edu.