LUBBOCK, Texas — On Thursday, power began to be restored at the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock after an explosion in a maintenance hole caused fires and power outages. The incident prompted university officials to evacuate several buildings and cancel classes for the remainder of the week. The university’s police department confirmed the sequence of events.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday evening in the Engineering Key section of the campus, leading to a swift evacuation of the area. Students were instructed to avoid the location until it was deemed safe.
Robert Gauthreaux III, a doctoral student, shared his experience with KCBD-TV, saying, “I heard an explosion and then saw a smoke ring, almost like a cartoon or something. It traveled about 200 feet in the air.” Gauthreaux recounted how he moved into the architecture building, which had lost power, and helped someone trapped in an elevator.
Caitlynn Jeffries, a spokesperson for the university’s police department, explained that power had been cut to the entire campus to conduct necessary repairs. She advised everyone to stay clear of the campus area. “You can go ahead and go home for spring break. We are closing school down for the next couple days,” she informed during a briefing.
According to Lubbock Fire Rescue Captain Jon Tunnell, firefighters were called to the campus at around 7 p.m. in response to a potential gas leak. They discovered “multiple manhole covers with active fire and smoke issuing from them.” However, no injuries were reported in the incident.
Prior to the news conference, the university released an alert indicating the explosion had taken place at a substation. Videos that surfaced on social media depicted numerous firefighters on the scene with smoke and fire emanating from at least one maintenance hole cover.
The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown. Deputy Chief of Lubbock Fire Rescue, Nick Wilson, noted that the various colors in the smoke might be due to the combustion of copper and other metals. “It’s going to be some time before we have answers,” Wilson said.
Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec stated that several hundred rooms off-campus had been arranged for students unable to stay in their dormitories. Texas Tech houses over 40,000 students across its sprawling 1,800-acre campus in West Texas.
