Squirrel Caused Widespread Power Outages at UConn That Canceled Classes

A squirrel caused widespread power outages on the Storrs campus of UConn today, which led to school officials canceling several classes and sending some employees home.

UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said a squirrel got into a transformer on top of a power pole on North Eagleville Road and a spark that ran along the power line knocked out the nearest circuit, which serves dozens of buildings on various parts of campus.  

“A squirrel had somehow gotten itself in there on top of the pole and had gotten into the transformer and when this squirrel met its demise the spark from  this led down the wire over to the circuit and caused the circuit and the transformer both to blow out,” Reitz said. 

Power was out from around 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the outage affected more than 50 educational buildings, administrative buildings and residential buildings and classes are canceled for the rest of the day in buildings affected by the outage.

Non-essential employees who work in those buildings were sent home and students in residence halls without power could remain in their rooms.

The following buildings were affected, according to the UConn website:

  • AG-Biotech Lab Annex
  • AG-Bio-Technology
  • AG-Bio Greenhouse
  • AG-RIC Pesticides Research
  • AGRIC Storage Building - Farm Area
  • Agriculture Biotechnology Lab
  • Arjona
  • Avian Research Building
  • Atwater Laboratory
  • Baldwin Hall
  • Batterson Hall, A-D
  • Beef Sheep Barn
  • Bio Behavioral 4 Annex
  • Bio Behavioral Sci Building 5
  • Bio Behavioral Sci Prefab 4
  • Bio Behavioral Sci, Prefab 1
  • Bio Behavioral Sci, Prefab 3
  • Bishop Center
  • Bousfield Psychology Building
  • Buckley Hall
  • Budds Building
  • Commissary Bakery and Warehouse
  • Dairy Barn and Silo
  • Northwest Dining Hall
  • East Building
  • Environmental Health and Safety
  • Facilities Operation Building, LeDoyt
  • Facility Maintenance Storage Building
  • Fairfield Hall
  • Family Studies
  • Farm Depot Headquarters, Horsebarn Hill
  • Floriculture Building
  • Goodyear Hall
  • Grange Hall
  • Grange Shelter
  • Gulley Hall
  • Hanks Hall
  • Hartford Hall
  • Hawley Armory
  • High-Tech Poultry Facility
  • Hicks Hall
  • Holcomb Hall
  • Honors Center
  • Horse Barn
  • Hurley Hall
  • Husky Village
  • International House
  • Jones Building
  • Jones Building Annex
  • Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts
  • Kellog Dairy Center
  • Lakeside Building
  • Landscaping
  • Litchfield Hall
  • Manchester Hall
  • McConaughy Hall
  • Middlesex Hall
  • Modular Waste Storage
  • Monteith Building
  • Music Building
  • Music Library
  • Nathan Hale Hotel
  • New Haven Hall
  • New London Hall
  • Pathology Lab
  • Planetarium
  • Phillips Building
  • Polo Arena
  • Poultry Breeder House
  • Poultry Brooder House
  • Poultry Commercial House
  • Poultry Contest House
  • Poultry Feed House
  • Poultry House
  • Poultry Teaching House
  • President's Residence
  • Ratcliffe Hicks Building
  • Rogers Hall
  • Rosebrooks House
  • Russell Hall
  • Schenker Lecture Hall
  • Shippee Hall
  • South Campus Residence Halls
  • School of Fine Arts
  • Sprague Hall
  • Storrs Hall
  • Swine Barn
  • Terry Hall
  • Tolland Hall
  • Torrey Life Sciences
  • Towers Dining Facility
  • Towers Residence Halls 
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