Penn Highlands State College says there was no explosion or power outage Tuesday night, despite widespread claims on social media.
A Facebook post Tuesday night on the Central Pa. Fire Wire reported a large explosion on the second floor, smoke filling the building and a power outage. The page is not affiliated with any fire/EMS company, Emergency Management Agency, or 911 call center. Community members post information told on police and fire scanners.
In a phone call with WPSU, a Penn Highlands representative rejected those claims. The representative said most of the people in the hospital were not aware anything had happened.
According to that representative, a wire connected to an amp on the second floor malfunctioned and made a spark sound around 11 p.m. Someone in the hospital called 911, leading to a fire department response. The fire crew checked the wire and left, since there was no fire to respond to.
The Penn Highlands representative said the hospital's maintenance staff also checked the wire.
The building is now fully operational, according to a Penn Highlands statement.
The hospital officially opened on July 11.
