Mission Viejo : Blackout Keeps 2,000 From College Classes

A blackout at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo kept 2,000 students from classes in several buildings on the 200-acre campus Tuesday, a college spokeswoman said. But 20,000 other students were not affected.

College spokeswoman Anne Ambrose said electricity went off late Monday night in several of the 37 major buildings on campus, including those housing classes in science and mathematics, business and general studies, physical education and the library.

Nighttime activities in those building were canceled Tuesday by college officials. But Ambrose said repairs were expected to be completed in time for today’s classes.

The cause of the blackout was not known, but campus officials said they believed it was a short circuit caused by water from Monday’s rainstorm.

The college’s 24-hour-a-day radio station, KSBR, went off the air at 11 p.m. Monday, operations manager Mark Schiffelbein said, but resumed broadcasts at 9 a.m. Tuesday with an emergency generator.

Telephone service to and from the campus broke down around noon Tuesday for about an hour, but repairs were made quickly, campus officials said.

The campus does not have an emergency generator that can serve classroom buildings, Ambrose said.