Power has been restored to most buildings on the UC Berkeley campus in California after a power system failure that caused an explosion and fire Monday. A student was injured, but was released from a medical facility Monday night.
As of 5:30 a.m. local time, 11 buildings remained without power; classes in these buildings were canceled:
- Alumni House
- Bancroft Library
- California Hall
- Central Heating Plant
- Doe Library
- Durant Hall
- Dwinelle Hall
- Dwinelle Annex
- Edwards Track (East and West areas)
- Haas Pavilion
- EH&S Facility
Campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said Monday that the explosion may have been caused as a result of vandals trying to steal copper wire last week, according to the Daily Californian.
Some people were stuck in elevators. Residence halls run on backup generators, so students were able to remain in their dorms Monday night as the college worked to get the power back.
A Twitter user wrote Monday that an “explosion sent massive plume of fire about 2 stories high. Police now clearing the campus.”
Josette Walian wrote on UC Berkeley’s Facebook page Tuesday: “My husband wants the power back on ASAP so his biological samples don’t degrade! I’m sure he’s not the only scientist for whom refrigeration is essential.”
The college will continue to update students via its website and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
