Large-scale fire and small explosion at UMN steam plant late Friday night

A large-scale fire and small explosion broke out at a University of Minnesota steam plant in Minneapolis late Friday night but was under control within an hour, according to alerts by the university.

University officials sent out a public safety alert about the fire and a “slight explosion” around 11:15 p.m. Friday, telling people to avoid the area of the steam plant located at 600 Main St. S.E. University police were working on traffic control.

Less than an hour later, another alert was issued saying there was no longer a visible fire but that the Minneapolis Fire Department was still on scene and that university police were still performing traffic control.

It’s not the first time the university’s steam plant, which is located on the Mississippi River and supplies steam to the university, has caught fire. Another fire broke out on the plant’s roof in 2006, causing minimal damage.

The steam plant works with the university’s main energy plant to provide heat, hot water and power to the U’s Minneapolis campus and some nearby buildings.

No further details about the fire were available Saturday morning.