A kitchen fire broke out in the Student Union on Thursday at 2:24 a.m.
The Student Union was evacuated with no injuries being reported.
The fire was extinguished by the San Jose Fire Department and a safety perimeter was established.
According to a campus-wide email from Charlie Faas, the San Jose State vice president for administration and finance, no personnel were present in the area at the time of the fire.
A report on damages to the kitchen and other areas of the Student Union has not been released.
Traci Ferdolage, senior associate vice president of facilities, development and operations, said no one witnessed the start of the fire.
Based on Ferdolage’s field assessment, the fire occurred in a walk-in freezer and refrigerator unit inside the food service area.
“It appears that there was a failure in the compressor unit that is within the freezer, where it potentially overheated,” Ferdolage said. “We’re not sure what happened… but that’s where we believe that the ignition source started.”
The cause of the fire has not been determined and needs further investigation.
The fire activated the Student Union’s fire alarm system, notifying the University Police Department and San Jose State staff to respond.
The Student Union will be partially operational after further assessment from Ferdolage.
“The building for occupancy in all areas with the exception of the food service prep and kitchen area which remains closed,” Ferdolage said.
According to a follow up email from Faas, the student union’s Subway and Starbucks will be open Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The SJSU Bookstore will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Other retail food locations on the first floor are projected to reopen on August 14.
