UC Berkeley officials believe the power outage and the subsequent explosion may be tied to a large-scale theft of copper wire from an electrical station near the campus.
It’s been a bad few days for Berkeley, Calif.
On Monday, a huge explosion ripped through through the air on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The blast sent a giant fireball high into the air, injured four people and left some 20 people trapped in elevators for a couple hours, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Labs across the prestigious, sprawling campus were evacuated. A school-wide text message ordering students to evacuate campus was sent about eight minutes after the explosion, reports KGO-TV.
Power had gone out all over campus about two hours before the incident. The blast happened as power crews were attempting to bring back power.
Electricity has been largely restored, but Cal students have had a hard time because midterm exams start on Tuesday.
“I can’t study anymore,” frustrated student Suneesh Kaul told the ABC affiliate. “I don’t have a charge in my laptop. My phone’s out. It’s basically crazy.”
UC Berkeley officials believe the power outage and the subsequent explosion may be tied to a large-scale theft of copper wire from an electrical station near the campus.
As of the wee hours of Tuesday morning, it was not clear whether classes will be held as scheduled on Tuesday, notes the Times.
Meanwhile, the city government in Berkeley was forced to shut down the swimming pool at Berkeley High School last week because students using it have reported symptoms including the mysterious disappearance of their body hair.
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