Tuesday’s wildfire in the hills above Redwood City has disrupted power to Stanford and may keep the campus closed through Friday.
The Edgewood Fire damaged a PG&E transmission line that feeds electricity to Stanford.
Stanford said it is getting some electricity from PG&E and is using that power for what it says are high-priority buildings such as the hospital.
On Tuesday, some students feared being locked out of their rooms and necessary buildings after the university announced via Twitter, “Card access doors may power down and lock automatically.”
By evening, students and employees were told to prepare for a continued outage.
“PG&E has not provided an estimated time of power restoration, due to damage to their equipment located in the fire area near Emerald Hills,” the university wrote in an update.
Portable light stations were moved into student residential areas Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, all classes had been cancelled. PG&E provided the campus with a limited supply of power, though it does not meet the standard needs of the campus.
As temperatures in the Stanford area are forecast to reach over 90 degrees, students with no air conditioning were reminded to manage the heat by drinking plenty of water, limit physical activity, and wear cool clothing.
Students living on campus can find meals, air conditioning, and outlets to charge devices at the Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, EVGR Pavilion, Wilbur Dining, and Florence Moore Hall. Many libraries and other large facilities remain closed. The campus Marguerite Shuttle line are also reportedly operating on a reduced schedule.
People can stay up to date on the Emergency Information Website and through Stanford’s Twitter account.
— Staff and wire reports