Fire at Iowa State power plant disrupts campus cooling, A/C restored Friday morning
Iowa State University moved classes online Thursday afternoon (Aug. 24) and all of Friday after a fire at the university's power plant disrupted the campus cooling system.
Students who live on campus and have the ability to go home for the weekend were encouraged to do so in a Thursday afternoon release.
"University leaders are working on ways to assist students who need to stay on campus," the note said.
The fire knocked out all four of the plant's chillers, shutting down air conditioning across campus. Power was restored by 8:30 a.m. Friday, according to an Iowa State news release.
Ames FD responds to fire late Thursday morning
The Ames Fire Department responded to reports of a fire in the basement of the power plant on Beach Road at 10:44 a.m. Thursday, which had previously been put out by university staff after equipment malfunctioned.
The malfunctioning equipment suffered a "complete failure" and ignited attached oil, causing the fire to grow as firefighters analyzed the area. The fire alarm was once again activated, with the Ames FD requesting additional assistance, according to a Thursday afternoon news release, before the fire was eventually extinguished at 11:42 a.m.
All powerplant employees and contractors were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
The Ames Fire Department could not estimate the extent of damage as of Thursday afternoon.
"This fire was particularly difficult to fight because the situation changed very quickly as the equipment’s operating oil provided a large fuel source," Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins said in a statement. "Fighting a fire in the lower level of the facility coupled with the exceptionally hot temperatures created challenges, but Ames firefighters did an outstanding job."
The Iowa State campus will not be shut down or evacuated, but all activities for Thursday were canceled. Employees were urged to work with supervisors to make arrangements. Several campus businesses closed for the day, including the ISU dining service, the Memorial Union, the University Bookstore and Lied Recreation Center.
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The fire came during an intense heat wave that has lingered in Iowa throughout the week. Temperatures in Ames were expected to reach a high of 97 degrees with a heat index in the 100s.
An excessive heat warning was expected to lift at 7 p.m. Thursday though temperatures were still expected to be in the low 90s on Friday.
The City of Ames electrical department provided power to help maintain electricity on campus as crews worked to repair damage to the power plant.
Classes will resume as normal Monday
Iowa State University's cooling system was fully operational by 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, according to ISU's News Service. In-person classes will resume Monday, while many campus businesses reopened Friday.
Iowa State's Facilities, Management, Planning and Management crews restored all four of the power plant's chillers. The employees were able to repair two chillers by 6:30 p.m. Thursday, restoring air conditioning to campus residence halls.
The residence halls took priority, a statement from Iowa State said, and classes remained virtual or were canceled Friday to help cool buildings throughout campus.
Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Fire at Iowa State power plant disrupts campus cooling system
