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Molly Jones/The Hoya

The D.C. Fire Department reponded to reports of a gas leak in reiss Science Building yesterday. Two buildings were evacuate but no leak was found.

Hundreds of students, faculty and staff were forced to temporarily evacuate Reiss Science Building and the Leavey Center yesterday after a suspected gas leak, although firefighters deemed the situation safe and the buildings were reopened later in the day.

The Department of Public Safety evacuated the two buildings around 3 p.m. after someone reported a foul odor coming from Reiss to DPS.

University spokesperson Julie Bataille said the Department of Public Safety contacted the District of Columbia Fire Department soon after the report. Three fire trucks with 15 to 20 firefighters arrived at the scene when they received a 911 call, according to firefighters of Battalion 5. Bataille said that DCFD responded within minutes and quickly began assessing the situation.

“We smelled gas on the sixth floor, but we weren’t getting any reading,” said Pat Swanson, a firefighter on the scene. “We checked the rest of the building, but by the time we got back up to the sixth floor, the smell had gone away.”

Swanson said firefighters used natural gas meters to try to find the source of the suspected leak.

According to Bataille and DCFD firefighters, no gas leak was located.

Kathleen Bayne, administrative officer for the chemistry department, whose office is in Reiss, said the source of the odor was unknown and that the gas in the building had been shut off as a safety measure.

Several hundred people were evacuated and about 12 DPS officers were on the scene. Fire trucks were parked under the Leavey bridge, and DPS officers closed off the walkway between Henle Village and Red Square and instructed pedestrians to take a detour around Reiss.

“This kind of thing has happened from time to time due to foul sewer smells,” Bataille said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we assess the situation to respond appropriately.”

Forty-five minutes after the evacuation, the buildings were determined to be safe by DCFD and faculty, staff, and students were permitted to reenter.