The UC Berkeley explosion left four people with minor burns and forced much of the campus to go dark. Officials working around the clock have now managed to restore most of the campus’ power.
Students were sent scrambling from California Hall after an explosion was heard just north of the facility. Onlookers witnessed a large dark cloud of smoke filling the air. The explosion was two stories tall and two roadway lanes wide. The explosion caused a manhole cover to shoot into the air. Officials say ripping the wire out of the facility likely required specialized equipment.
According to a UC Berkeley spokesman the explosion was likely the result of copper wire theft from an off-campus electrical station.
While one victim was taken to the hospital, three others declines transportation.
20 students were trapped in elevators as a result of the power outage, they were rescued a short time after the explosion.
Following the UC Berkeley explosion officials asked that students and the general public stay away from the main campus until power could be fully restored.
Shortly after the explosion school officials gave students permission to return to their dorm rooms.
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said the copper wire theft was discovered earlier in the week and repaid on Sunday.
“We have a strong suspicion that what happened is related to vandalism discovered last week,” Mogulof revealed. “The damage they caused may have been far more extensive than we originally thought.”
The UC Berkeley explosion took place as engineers were attempting to bring power back online.
No further details about the theft or the damage caused by the explosion have been reported at this time.
