Gas Leak Causes Early Morning Evacuation

A harmiess leak of the chemical used to odorize natural gas caused the evacuation of many buildings at Harvard and across Massachusetts at about 9:30 a.m. yesterday.

Officials said they could not locate the source of the leak as of yesterday evening.

They speculate that the odor came from a truck transporting the chemical Mercapton, which odorizes natural gas to warn people of its presence. Gas in its natural form is odorless.

Public safety officials were quick to notify the public that the chemical is harmless and poses "no health threat or danger that we're aware of," according to andrea Carneiro, director of public affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Dianne M. Dyslin, communications director at Harvard Real Estate, said safety officials initially thought the leak was gas and ordered an evacuation of Holyoke Center.

"After approximately 20 minutes into the evacuation Harvard Real Estate business representative were notified by public safety officials... that the gas," she said.

In addition to the Holyoke Center, the Business School, the Business School, the Kennedy School of Government Wadsworth hall of.........reported strong gas odors, according to Peter M. Bochnak, associate director for environmental health and safety at Harvard. Many buildings had to be evacuated he said.

"It seemed that [the smell] came right up the river and over to the Business School," he said. "With the weather conditions what they are they held the odor down to the ground."

Employees at the Office for information Technology (OIT) were also evacuated.

"It wasn't that bad," said Charla Scivally a staff assistant at OIT. "It was first day and it gave me a sense of security that things are handled so well."

The source of the smell remained undiscovered by authorities yesterday. Gas companies, state police and fire departments were left scrambling to find to source of the leak.

Officials at Harvard were told the smell came from a chemical plant in Everett, Mass.

"The Cambridge Fire Department alerted our control center in the Science Center that the smell was coming from the release of the chemical in Everett," Bochnak said.

But an official at the District Gas ofMassachusetts Company, located at Everett, saidthe smell did not come from them.

"We have been through the total facility," saidThomas J. Nolan, manager of safety assurance. "Wehad no leak."

Nolan said the Everett Fire Departmentconducted a check yesterday for gas leaks. DeputyChief Lawrence F. Mazzie of the Everett FireDepartment said he found no leak.

"The last report I had was that this odor hadbeen detected as far as Natick and Grafton," saidCarneiro. "The theory was that it was coming froma truck traveling west.

But an official at the District Gas ofMassachusetts Company, located at Everett, saidthe smell did not come from them.

"We have been through the total facility," saidThomas J. Nolan, manager of safety assurance. "Wehad no leak."

Nolan said the Everett Fire Departmentconducted a check yesterday for gas leaks. DeputyChief Lawrence F. Mazzie of the Everett FireDepartment said he found no leak.

"The last report I had was that this odor hadbeen detected as far as Natick and Grafton," saidCarneiro. "The theory was that it was coming froma truck traveling west.