Caitlynn Jeffries, a public information officer, for the Texas Tech Police Department, said the incident began around 7 p.m. with an explosion in a manhole near the engineering key in the central part of campus.

The power has been restored after authorities at Texas Tech University said an explosion inside a maintenance hole set off fires and power outages on the campus, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week.