UW-Madison officials shut down the Charter Street power plant after a pipe inside a coal-fired boiler ruptured at around noon on Wednesday, said John Harrod, director of the universityâ??s physical plant.
No one was injured, he said, but the broken pipe produced enough steam to fill the main floor of the building at the corner of Dayton and Charter streets.
Harrod said the boilers have been shut down to isolate the problem. He was unsure when they will be up and running again, but said the incident likely would not affect the power for UW buildings, as there are two other energy plants that can cover the needs.