Residents in Grant South were evacuated Friday after a power outage occurred.
Fire alarms sounded at about 2 p.m., and the DeKalb Fire Department arrived soon thereafter. Two fire engines, an ambulance and several firefighters entered Grant to investigate.

Joe Newton, a sophomore undecided major and Grant South Housing and Dining worker, was on hand when the power outage occurred.

“The power went out in the cafe; five to seven minutes later they told us to leave and the fire alarms sounded,” Newton said. “It’s entertaining watching people freak out for no reason at all.”

Firefighters investigated the area and found no evidence of a fire.

The outage was due to the malfunctioning of a transformer located near the NIU baseball field, said Bruce Harrison, citizen chief of the DeKalb Fire Department.

As a result of the electrical problem, power was lost and the generator started. Smoke from the generator found its way into Grant and set off the fire alarm, Harrison said. ComEd was deployed to service the electrical outages.

Students were evacuated as a precautionary measure, Harrison said.

“You never want to disregard a fire alarm,” he said.

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