Iowa State power plant fire disrupts cooling system, sends classes online and students home

AMES — A fire at Iowa State University’s power plant Thursday disrupted the campus’ cooling system, compelling instructors to move classes online — or cancel them altogether — and prompting administrators to encourage on-campus residents to head home for the weekend.

ISU freshman Hayden Dillon, 18, said the fire and cooling system implications didn’t change much for them — given they already were assigned to live in Freeman, one of the 10 ISU residence halls without air-conditioning.

“It’s been a little bit miserable,” Dillon said about their first week in college. “It’s like sweltering in the dorm rooms.”

Iowa State has 20 total halls capable of housing 10,440, and about one-third of student rooms — before the fire — did not have air. Students in those dorms can find air-conditioned respites in communal dens on each floor.

An updated news release about the fire Thursday indicated air conditioning in halls that had it before had been “stabilized.”

As a result of the fire, reported at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, classes for the remainder of day and Friday were moved online or canceled.

Students were instructed to check their email and class communication channels for further direction from instructors and professors. All of Dillon’s classes were canceled for the rest of the week, but they don’t plan to head home to Iowa City.

“I don't have a car, so my parents would have to drive two hours to pick me up and then two hours back home,” they said.

Instead, Dillon plans to continue with the sleeping situation they arranged in the communal den in their hall — equipped with a window air conditioner.

“Three or four of us have just been sleeping in there the last couple nights,” Dillon said. “I have a couple of cushions from a chair in my room that are on the floor under a table.”

Although Iowa State encouraged students who can to go home for the weekend, ISU sophomore Graydon Gunzenhauser said he also doesn’t want to make the two-hour drive to Humeston.

“There’s not much going on there,” he said.

Gunzenhauser also already was in a non-air-conditioned dorm — Wallace — and has been sleeping, or trying to, without covers and two fans that do little but move around hot air.

ISU leaders on Thursday said they’ll do what they can to help students who must stay — although they didn’t provide many details.

This experience, Gunzenhauser said, has him leaning toward off-campus living next year.

“I’m not keen on moving back on campus,” he said.

Ames, like the rest of the state, has been under an excessive heat warning this week amid record-setting temperatures. At 2 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service reported the air temperature in Ames was 94 degrees, while the feels-like heat index temperature was 107 degrees.

All ISU activities that were scheduled for Thursday have been canceled. Employees are advised to work with their supervisors to make arrangements.

The Ames Fire Department responded to the fire and extinguished it. No injuries were reported.

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