Campus Alert Archive
UW-Eau Claire

An Electrical Fire in Schneider Hall and Two People Pulled From Stuck Elevators

WIfireemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of Thursday, October 23, 2025, a small electrical fire on the first floor of Schneider Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire prompted the evacuation of faculty, staff and students around 9:30 a.m. UW-Eau Claire Police rescued two people trapped in elevators, one in Schneider Hall and one in the adjacent Flesch Family Welcome Center, after the fire interrupted electrical service to both buildings. No one was hurt.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Public Masters · WI
~9,500 studentsBlugold Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction152 chars
Blugold Alert: Evacuate Schneider Hall now due to a fire. Move away from the building and follow directions from emergency personnel. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed because the verbatim Blugold Alert text was not published; secondary reporting confirmed that faculty, staff and students were evacuated from Schneider Hall around 9:30 a.m. due to the fire.
The fire began on the first floor of Schneider Hall, the building specifically named in coverage; the alert geography reflects that single-building evacuation.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction335 chars
Update: Eau Claire Fire and Rescue has controlled the electrical fire in Schneider Hall. No injuries were reported and two people were safely rescued from elevators by UWEC Police. Schneider Hall and the Flesch Family Welcome Center remain closed due to an interruption of electrical service. We will share a plan for affected classes.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Classified as update rather than all-clear because both Schneider Hall and the Flesch Family Welcome Center remained closed due to the electrical-service interruption even after the fire was controlled.
The detail that UWEC Police rescued two people stuck in elevators, one in each building, is preserved from local reporting and is specific to this incident.
Context

Background

Schneider Hall is an academic building on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus, adjacent to the Flesch Family Welcome Center. Around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2025, a small electrical fire broke out on the first floor, prompting the evacuation of everyone inside. Eau Claire Fire and Rescue traced the fire to electrical equipment, and the resulting power interruption left two people stranded in elevators, one in Schneider Hall and one in the Flesch Family Welcome Center, both of whom were rescued by UWEC Police. No one was injured. University officials said Schneider Hall would be closed to the public until further notice while they communicated a plan for affected classes, and electrical service to both buildings was temporarily interrupted by the incident.
Analysis

Key Findings

The fire itself was small, but the power interruption it caused trapped two people in elevators in two different buildings, turning a contained electrical fire into a rescue operation
UWEC Police, not the fire department, performed the elevator rescues, illustrating the overlapping roles of campus police and municipal fire crews during building emergencies
Both Schneider Hall and the adjacent Flesch Family Welcome Center were closed after the fire was out because the electrical-service loss, not active fire, was the lingering hazard
Outcome
Eau Claire Fire and Rescue determined the fire started from electrical equipment on the first floor. No injuries were reported. Schneider Hall was closed to the public until further notice while the university worked out a plan for affected classes.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Students evacuated from UW-Eau Claire campus building as fire breaks out - WEAU
    weau.com
  2. News
    UWEC campus building closed following small electrical fire - Leader-Telegram
    leadertelegram.com
  3. News
    No one injured after small fire at UW-Eau Claire's Schneider Hall - WQOW
    wqow.com
Tags
fireelectrical-firewisconsineau-claireevacuationelevator-rescueemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion