Campus Alert Archive
ACC

A Wind-Driven Rolling Blackout Traps Students in Elevators and Cancels Classes at ACC's Littleton Campus

COpower outageemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Monday, October 20, 2025, power abruptly shut off at Arapahoe Community College's Littleton campus at 9:45 a.m. MDT as Xcel Energy ran rolling outages during extreme high winds. Firefighters had to free three people trapped in stopped elevators. ACC sent mass texts, emails, and automated calls announcing that all classes before 5 p.m. were cancelled.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Arapahoe Community College
Community College · CO
~13,000 studentsACC Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction187 chars
ACC ALERT: A power outage is affecting the Littleton campus. If you are in an elevator, stay calm and use the emergency call button. Use caution in dark areas. More information to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The outage stalled elevators with people inside, forcing a fire-department rescue — a hazard that distinguishes a power failure from a routine closure.
Reconstructed wording; the student newspaper documented the 9:45 a.m. outage and elevator rescues but did not publish the verbatim alert.
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction197 chars
ACC ALERT UPDATE: Due to the ongoing power outage at the Littleton campus, all classes scheduled before 5 p.m. today are CANCELLED. Please check your email for further updates on campus operations.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

ACC used mass texts, emails, and automated calls together — a layered approach that matters when a power outage may have knocked out some on-campus communication infrastructure.
Reconstructed wording; the before-5-p.m. cancellation and the multi-channel notification are drawn directly from the student newspaper account.
Context

Background

Arapahoe Community College's main campus is in Littleton, Colorado, served by Xcel Energy. On October 20, 2025, The Arapahoe Pinnacle reported that power abruptly shut down at 9:45 a.m. MDT as Xcel ran rolling outages during extreme high winds — the National Weather Service had warned of gusts up to 65 mph over higher terrain and 60 mph across the plains. Firefighters evacuated three people from elevators that had suddenly stopped, and ACC sent mass texts, emails, and automated calls cancelling all classes before 5 p.m. A follow-up Pinnacle piece reflected on the college's response to the disruption. This case is a reminder that weather-triggered utility failures — not just crimes — are a frequent and consequential use of campus emergency-notification systems, especially when they create life-safety hazards like trapped-elevator rescues.
Analysis

Key Findings

A wind-driven Xcel rolling outage created an immediate life-safety hazard at ACC by trapping three people in elevators, requiring fire-department rescue
ACC layered texts, emails, and automated calls to cancel classes — prudent when a power failure may degrade on-campus communications
The incident illustrates how planned utility load-shedding during severe weather can still surprise a campus and trigger an emergency notification
Outcome
Three people were rescued from stalled elevators; no injuries were reported. The college cancelled all classes scheduled before 5 p.m. via mass notification. The outage was tied to Xcel rolling shutoffs during a high-wind event with gusts up to 60-65 mph.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Darkness Descends: Schoolwide Blackout Sparks Panic and Elevator Rescues - The Arapahoe Pinnacle
    arapahoenews.com
  2. Student Paper
    Resilience in Action - The Arapahoe Pinnacle
    arapahoenews.com
Tags
power-outagehigh-windselevator-rescuecoloradocommunity-collegelittletonclass-cancellation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion