EUGENE, Ore. -- (Sept. 24, 2009) - At approximately 7:10 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, the University of Oregon experienced a campus-wide power outage, which caused fire alarms and brief evacuations. No one was injured and power has been restored to campus.

There was a planned power outage at the University Health Center to transfer generator power to a new transformer. The transfer failed and caused the failure of feeder power to many buildings on campus. It was an isolated incident, which was not caused by the power station upgrade project. Fire alarm panels were affected and two motors overheated and produced smoke in Straub Hall and the Volcanology Building.

The UO Department of Public Safety responded immediately to the first fire alarm, located in Earl Hall, and initiated an evacuation of the students in the residence hall once smoke was discovered. Smoke was also reported in Straub Hall and Volcanology building. Eugene Fire Department responded to the scene. Fire was not located and EFD is no longer on scene.

UODPS officers responded to all alarms from other buildings including the Knight Library, Prince Lucien Campbell (PLC), Erb Memorial Union (EMU) and Willamette Hall.

The university is restoring power to all areas of campus and repairing alarm systems. All intrusion and fire alarm alerts have been cleared and restored.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contacts: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-743-1038 (mobile), julbrown@uoregon.edu

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