Henderson, TN – Three students felt sick late Tuesday night when a carbon monoxide leak occurred in the Bradfield female dormitory at Freed-Hardeman University.
Alarms malfunctioned and didn’t sound with the leak occurred, according to school officials.
The building was evacuated after students began to notice an unusual smell and reported their concerns to the dorm mother.
The local fire department, campus security and dean of students were called to the dorm, and they discovered the carbon monoxide issue, said Jud Davis, public information officer and marketing director for the university. Firefighters verified the leak with carbon monoxide detectors and stayed on the scene to notify students when it was safe to re-enter the building.
Three students reported they felt nauseated, and one was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Davis said.
“We think the storm damaged the top of a flu/chimney on one of the boilers and the rain extinguished the flame,” Davis said in an email to The Jackson Sun on Wednesday. “As the boiler tried to restart, carbon monoxide was released, but the rain kept the flame from restarting.”
Davis said the problem was identified and corrected within three hours of the initial reports.
“All students are now back in the dorm,” he said. “No student is ill from the event.”
A malfunction with the alarm occurred, and the alarm company was at the campus Wednesday to determine what happened.
Every building on campus has fire alarms, Davis said. All living spaces and dorms also have carbon monoxide alarms, which are checked regularly, he said.
“Safety checks are performed by our facilities and security staffs and are performed on a suggested schedule,” Davis said. “Our liability insurance provider also provides a comprehensive risk assessment each year that would include a safety check of these alarms as well as several other safety issues.”