Manhole blast at Texas Tech University causes panic, triggers evacuation, suspension of classes

An explosion caused panic at Texas Tech University's campus in Lubbock, only to be later identified as a blast inside a manhole. The incident took place on Wednesday (March 12), causing disruption to power supply, according to the university police.

Texas Tech University blast: Multiple buildings evacuated

The blast, which caused school officials to spring into action and order evacuation of several buildings, also resulted in suspension of classes for the rest of the week, the police added. The blast is said to have taken place at the Engineering Key section of the university campus during the evening hours on Wednesday.

Texas Tech University blast: Substation explosion suspected initially

The university said the spring break scheduled to begin Monday would start early, starting Thursday. In an alert by the university administration, the incident was initially described as an explosion at a substation. However, it was later rectified in a tweet put out by the university's official X handle.


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"This is an emergency notification from the Texas Tech PD. An explosion at a manhole has affected multiple locations on the Texas Tech campus, causing widespread power outages to both TTU and TTUHSC. The Engineering Key has been evacuated. We ask that the public avoid campus," the X post read.

Eyewitness recalls smoke ring from blast

The cause of the explosion couldn't be ascertained immediately. An eyewitness, a doctoral degree student, told KCBD-TV that a smoke ring from the explosion travelled nearly 200 feet in the air.

Texas Tech University explosion: Early spring break for students

An official said the students were free to leave for the spring break, adding that a university-wide power shutdown will be in effect during the course of the repair work. "You can go ahead and go home for spring break. We are closing school down for the next couple days," university police department spokesperson said at a press briefing, according to The Independent.

No injuries reported, confirmed Fire department

The fire department said no injuries due to the explosion were reported. Firefighters were rushed to the university campus at around 7 pm for a suspected gas leak, Lubbock Fire Rescue Capt Jon Tunnell said at the media interaction. The responding fire personnel found "multiple manhole covers with active fire and smoke issuing from them", he said, as per The Independent.

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Videos show chaos on campus

Videos doing rounds on social media showed a significant presence of firefighters on the university campus, with fire and smoke emanating from at least one manhole cover.

FAQs

What was initially believed to be the source of the explosion?
It was initially believed by the university administration that the blast took place at a substation.

What was the cause of the explosion?
The reason behind the blast couldn't be ascertained immediately.