Kinks in the campus furnace system sent a flood of hot air to the Freshman Dean's Office basement Monday night.

Eric Hallstein '91, a member of the First-year Outdoor Program (FOP) steering committee, discovered a rush of steam when he arrived for the program's weekly meeting.

"I didn't know I had arrived early, and so I thought maybe the others were downstairs. When I opened the door to the basement, it was like a huge sauna," Hallstein said.

Steam Trap

The steam flowed into the rest of the building, setting off the fire alarm and causing three fire trucks to respond, Hallstein said. Firefighters left after facilities maintenance workers deactivated the furnace.

A "steam trap" can result when furnaces are initially activated, according to Charles M. Gordon, area supervisor for Facilities Maintenance. Campus furnaces were first turned on during last week's cold spell.

The FDO basement is used to store FOP equipment, Hallstein said. Aside from a few damp sleeping bags, no other equipment was damaged, he said.

College buildings are heated by a network of underground steam tunnels.