Electrical Fire Sparks Up at UCSD

A transformer caught fire inside a substation building on the La Jolla campus

Fire crews responded to the UC San Diego campus Saturday afternoon when a transformer caught fire inside a building.

The electrical fire started just after noon in the East Campus Power Station on Campus Point Dr. and Voigt Dr., according to authorities with the San Diego Fire Department.

The transformer is located inside a substation within a building.

The campus was left without power when the fire started, including one of the campus hospitals, Thorton Hospital. A UCSD spokesperson said patient care is not affected but the ovens in the kitchen are not working, so all food served is cold.

By 3 p.m., the campus Police Department sent a message to students saying the fire had been knocked down. However, they advised students and staff to stay off campus until power was restored.

University officials originally expected the power to be fully restored by 6 p.m., but additional damages delayed power restoration efforts until late Saturday night.

By 9:15 p.m., university officials said all food service on campus had ceased for the night. A special shuttle service to La Jolla Villa Square and Costa Verde was arranged to operate from 8:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.

SDG&E and an electrical technician were called out to de-energize the transformer.
About half-an-hour later, the tower was secured, but a HAZMAT crew and fire authorities were working to extinguish the flames.

According to authorities, the fire caused $350,000 worth of damage.

By early Sunday morning, power on campus was restored and conditions were back to normal.

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