UC Berkeley campus evacuated after explosion; injuries reported

A massive explosion that followed a power outage on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley campus resulted in at least one person being hospitalized and forced a campuswide evacuation Monday night. The explosion was reported near Sather Tower shortly before 7 p.m., KTVU.com reported. Witnesses described the blast as being a two-story fireball shooting into the air. "The explosion was about two stories high and as wide as a two-lane street," UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told the Associated Press. "We’re very fortunate there were no serious injuries."
Campus emergency officials said the entire campus was being evacuated. The cause of the power outage was being investigated late Monday, Berkeley acting fire Chief Gil Dong told KTVU.com. Fire crews freed about 20 people trapped in dormitory elevators across campus as a result of the outage, according to Mogulof. The power outage was reported around 4:30 p.m. Monday and led to classes being canceled as students were told to suspend all lab activities, Mogulof said.