Cooling in some buildings affected after incident at Charter Street Heating Plant

Cooling on campus began returning to normal in many university buildings after a small explosion at the Charter Street Heating Plant forced a temporary shutdown Wednesday afternoon.

But air conditioning in some buildings east of Charter Street could be diminished temporarily as equipment comes up to normal operating levels on Thursday, according to John Harrod, director of physical plant.

Police and firefighters responded to a small explosion at the Charter Street Heating Plant, at the corner of Dayton and Charter streets, during the lunch hour. All of the facility’s occupants were evacuated and all were  accounted for and safe in the wake of the blast, authorities said.

Harrod said the explosion took place when a tube ruptured in one of the facility’s boilers.

The plant’s other boilers were shut down, and officials decided Wednesday to shut down cooling for many campus buildings. The hospital, laboratories, and buildings with animal quarters were not affected by the shutdown.

Plans called for the boilers — which produce steam that power chillers — to be brought back on line in stages beginning this afternoon, officials said.