Police say the incident could have caused an explosion, and the campus is looking into ways to secure lecture hall gas lines to prevent similar acts.
Police responded to reports of the gas smell just after 4 a.m. Saturday morning. A lecturer on the third floor of Science B – which houses labs, offices and classrooms – smelled the odor and traced its source to the ground level, where a door to a lecture hall was propped open.
Officers arrived within two minutes and called in assistance from the Arcata Fire Department, PG&E, and HSU Plant Operations and Environmental Health personnel. Authorities shut down the gas line and aired out the building.
HSU Police Lieutenant Lynne Soderberg said police believe one or more suspects entered between 9:30 p.m. and the early morning hours. Although a door was propped open, there was no sign of forced entry, she said, and no apparent attempt to steal anything or vandalize anything else.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact University Police at 826-5555 or hsupd@humboldt.edu.