An explosion inside a maintenance hole on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock set off fires and power outages, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week, university police said.
The explosion happened Wednesday night at the Engineering Key section of campus, which was evacuated.
Power was being shut down to the entire campus while repairs were underway, said Caitlynn Jeffries, a spokesperson for the university’s police department. She asked that all public and unofficial personnel avoid campus.
“You can go ahead and go home for spring break. We are closing school down for the next couple days,” Jeffries said at a news media briefing.
Firefighters responded to campus at about 7 p.M. For a possible gas leak, Lubbock Fire Rescue Capt. Jon Tunnell said at the briefing. They found “multiple manhole covers with active fire and smoke issuing from them,” he said.
No injuries were reported, Tunnell said.
