UPDATE 3:26 p.m.:
Power has been restored at the school earlier this afternoon and class will resume as usual tomorrow.
Thursday's power outage and failure was caused by an NV Energy fuse on a power line that feeds Carson High School, according to school administrators. Not knowing if the power would be out for a short or long duration, CHS decided to release the students early.
The failure caused a brown-out at CHS that resulted in partial power going into the electrical devices requiring three-phase power. This brown-out condition caused HVAC pumps and motors to labor inefficiently causing electrical smells and raising safety concerns.
The fire alarms were engaged and students evacuated for safety purposes. NV Energy arrived at CHS soon thereafter to observe and then notified the administration to shut down the building's power during lunch hour.
Wednesday's storm is assumed to be the culprit of equipment failure but the cause has not yet officially been determined.
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Thursday, Sept. 14, 12:30 p.m.
A power outage has canceled school for the rest of today, Thursday, at Carson High School, according to school administrators.
Superintendent Richard Stokes said an electrical issue occurred at the school this morning; faculty noticed an unusual smell in the building and prompted an evacuation with sounding alarms.
The Carson City Fire Department investigated the building and reported no difficulty or issues were found with the electrical system, or possible hazards. Students were then allowed to return to their classes inside.
Due to the interruption, communications systems among staff stopped working.
Stokes said the power service then observed the school and advised another evacuation.
Students were released for the rest of the day as power could not be confirmed within minutes or hours.
Stokes said the district is in the process of sending bus drivers to the school to pick up students and informing parents about the cancellation.
Families will be informed tonight with a phone call about the status of the school, however, Stokes said the district is anticipating to continue school tomorrow without difficulties.
