Firefighters responded to a 1:30 p.m alarm after an explosion in Building 2, followed by smoke. They put out the fire in about 15 minutes, fire Capt. Emmit Kane said.

An electrician working in the building when the fire broke out was treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation and released.

College Chancellor Ramsey Pedersen said he was optimistic that the building's electrical systems can be repaired by the beginning of classes on Aug. 22. Engineers were still analyzing the extent of the damage, he said. The building will be closed until repairs can be made.

"I think we have enough of a window to get this done," Pedersen said. "Obviously, we don't want to cancel any classes."

A burnt, acrid smell remained in the air in and around Building 2, near the Campus Center, more than an hour after the fire was extinguished.

He said he wouldn't know how many students or classes would be affected until power is restored to the HCC computer systems this morning.

Activity in the building during the summer is at a minimum, he said.

Initial reports from firefighters indicated that a transformer was the source of the explosion, but Pedersen later said that it was a breaker panel — a much cheaper and easier item to replace. He did not have a cost estimate, but said the parts would have to be custom-ordered.

A computer technician who works in the fifth floor of Building 2 said she heard a loud explosion, followed immediately by a power failure. The woman, who did not give her name, said she ran to a window, saw heavy smoke coming from the ground floor and left the building.

Nearby Building 7, which houses the campus library, was evacuated for 20 minutes as a precaution because of smoke drifting in that direction.

Kane said the electrician was working in the room as part of a larger project on the campus when a wiring system malfunctioned, melting the insulation and plastic around the wiring.

Pedersen described the building as the "heart of the digital technologies" on campus and said transferring classes to other locations is not an option. He added that pushing classes scheduled in the building back by up to a week was possible without having to cancel them.

Departments housed within the building include: Architectural Engineering & Computer-Aided Design Technologies; Art & Communication Arts; the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training; and the Matsuda Technology Center.