Campus-Wide Power Outage
(Joseph Espiritu / Sean Lara)
A power outage shut down Saddleback College at approximately 11:45 a.m. today, forcing the evacuation of the entire campus until power was restored 30 minutes later. Campus police reported that it was an “area-wide blackout including Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, and Irvine.”
During the blackout President Tod Burnett said: “Our first concern is the students. Due to the heat, we want to be sure that they are comfortable in the classrooms. Our second concern is that the faculty has the tools necessary to for them to be able to teach. The evacuation will last either until the power comes back on or until we are able to determine whether or not to cancel classes and for how long.”
Students displaced by the evacuation exhibited annoyance due to the inconvenience and the heat.
“It’s kind of hot to be stuck out here,” said Devin Darby, 27, automotive technology.
“I was unhappy because the blackout interrupted my class and education that I’ve spent so much money on,” said Mike Czapski, 21, business.
Shortly after power was restored, the college issued a statement reporting that the blackout originated at San Diego Gas and Electric, and that “all college classes and operations are in session.”
(Joseph Espiritu / Sean Lara)