MacEwan University says that the cause of the partial evacuation on Jan. 18 was due to an electrical problem which had a cabinet in Building 6’s electrical room smoking and scorching. 

While there was no fire, all of Building 6 and 7 were evacuated as a precautionary measure, and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services sent fire crews to respond to a fire alarm. 

EFRS spokesperson Rowan Anderson says crews found “charring” on an electrical panel, but quickly turned repairs over to MacEwan once things were under control. 

No other systems appear to be affected, and the two buildings are running smoothly despite now missing the failed capacitor bank which caused the damage. 

“Everything is working normally. The buildings can operate without the capacitor bank,” says MacEwan. “We do not have an estimate for the replacement yet.”

Facilities crews are unsure of what caused the bank to fail. Even though there has been a roller coaster ride of deep freezes and rapid thaws over the past few weeks, MacEwan says “the exterior temperature was not a factor in the failure.”

Along with the rest of the original City Centre Campus, Building 6 is the oldest on campus. MacEwan says all equipment is routinely monitored, and potential issues are dealt with promptly. 

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Photo by Amanda Erickson.