Students living in The Derwent apartments in Endcliffe village were told to leave their residencies at 10.30pm last night due to heavy flooding.
The flood was labelled as a potential fire hazard by the university as it caused severe damage to the building’s electricity supply.
One Sheffield student, Ellie Fletcher, 19, labelled the incident as scary. She told Sheffield Wire she arrived home after cheerleading practice at 8pm to find a crowd of people standing outside in the rain. She was then informed by university officials almost three hours later that she had to stay elsewhere for the duration of the night and if she had difficulties, the university would assist her in finding temporary accommodation.
“Luckily my boyfriend lives in Sheffield,” she said, “so I decided to leave because I thought that even if they did let us in to get our valuables, it would be hours before they did. And in the end, they didn’t let anyone in. My flatmates never got their things”.
As a result of not being able to collect their personal belongings, many did not attend university today.
Reports of smoke exiting the basement last night were also made, though this has not yet been confirmed by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
A spokesperson for the university said students are can now re-enter their accommodation following checks to the power supply. They added those affected by the incident will receive a three-night credit to their accommodation.
If you or anyone else has been affected, get in touch with @sheffield_wire on Twitter.