A gas leak caused campus police to close part of the sidewalk and street at Entrance 14 near Science and Research 1 around noon Wednesday.
A report came in to UH Department of Public Safety dispatch at 12:15 p.m. and fire marshals located the source of the leak quickly, Director of Emergency Management Joe Mendez said.
“We were trying to determine where (the leak was) coming from,” Mendez said. “This is a big place.”
The brief delay in locating the source of was because of the wind moving plumes of gas around campus, Mendez said.
A trash compactor drove over the gas line’s valve lid, cracking it and causing a leak, said Laura Cating, a CenterPoint Energy spokeswoman.
The gas flowing to the pipe was shut off at 2:15 p.m., Cating said.
A crew from CenterPoint Energy arrived at the scene and worked with police and fire marshals to clear the area of pedestrians and vehicles around 12:35 p.m., Mendez said.
No students have reported having averse reactions to the gas, Mendez said.
