Smoke Leads To Limited Power Outage At CWU

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Smoke from a malfunctioning generator in the Central Washington University Brooks Library this morning (April 5) caused an evacuation there and also disrupted power for about an hour to Farrell, Michaelsen and Randall halls and the Psychology Building.

The situation occurred during a routine, monthly start of all emergency generators on campus, according to Bob Tosch, CWU director of maintenance and operations.

"We let them run for an hour or so," Tosch adds. "This particular generator developed a mechanical problem, spilled some antifreeze and smoked some rubber belts. It filled up the electrical room with smoke and set off the general building alarm."

Other than one bystander, treated and released by the Ellensburg Fire Department for an asthma attack, no injuries were reported.

At this point, CWU mechanics are still determining just what happened to the generator.

"We'll get that diagnosed today and, from there, determine how much repairs are going to be to get it back on line," Tosch points out.

In the interim, the university does have portable generators available to use in its place.

The four-story building was opened in 1975. It contains 143,324 square feet of floor space. The library was re-named in honor of former university President James E. Brooks in 2003.

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)

Public Relations and Marketing: (509) 963-1493