A fire at an “isolated” electrical substation caused a campus-wide power outage at Shippensburg University shortly after 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to Megan Silverstrim, director of communications and marketing.

As of Saturday evening, power had not been restored to campus and backup emergency generators were being provided to campus by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, according to campus officials.

Dauphin Drive between Dauphin Humanities Center and Lancaster Drive and the C-5 parking lot are closed because crews are installing generators in that area, according to Silverstrim.

“At no time was the fire a risk to our campus community,” Silverstrim said. 

The extended timeframe of the power outage, which dragged into the evening Saturday, was due to the “complex” nature of the repairs “requiring additional time,” Silverstrim said.

Facilities crews were dispatched immediately, according to an email sent out by campus administration overnight Friday, and by 8 a.m. Saturday morning, Reisner Dining Hall was operating on generator power and was opened to students by 10 a.m.

The dining hall was slated to remain open between its usual mealtimes so that students could charge their devices until 7 p.m. Saturday, a separate email sent out by campus communications said. 

“The [Ceddia Union Building] and library will remain closed until power is restored,” that same email said. “Students may not access academic buildings unless they have plants or animals that require feeding support.”

Silverstrim told The Slate that the university is “working with local contractors and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to secure more generators.”

The additional generators will be used to provide more power to the residence halls, Silverstrim said.

“The generators the campus does have are operating as expected,” Silverstrim said. “Residence halls have generators equipped to provide power for life safety systems and they are functioning as expected.”

Students are advised to contact the Shippensburg University Police Department to gain access for those reasons. The email said. “All other access will be denied.”

The Paul Kiser Track and Field event was hosted as planned Saturday morning. Updates about other campus events are forthcoming.

A campus email sent out in the afternoon Saturday estimated that power would remain out all weekend.

“At this time, we are preparing for the potential that this power outage will continue through the weekend,” the updated email said. “Facilities crews are working to secure generators to provide power to residence halls and the CUB.”

Students who have medications that require refrigeration, such as certain types of insulin or antibiotics, were advised that they can utilize a refrigerator at SUPD.

The university police department is located inside the Reed Operations Center between Allegheny Drive and York Drive, across from Harley Hall and the Henderson Gymnasium.

Email updates state that no decision on the fate of Monday classes has been decided if the outage extends beyond the weekend.

Silverstrim said students should monitor their campus email for updates.

This is a developing story.

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