DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — One week after an underground explosion tore through South Monroe Street in Downtown Tallahassee, new details are helping explain how it happened.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
ABC 27's Lentheus Chaney reviewed the city's preliminary findings and spoke with a former aircraft mechanic who says the materials used to protect electrical wires may have helped fuel the explosion.
Jeff Shockey, a commercial and residential inspector and former aircraft mechanic, says the protective covering around underground electrical wires can become part of the danger when something goes wrong.
"Electrical wiring has insulation on it. It's typically made of plastic. Plastic is derived from petroleum. In this case from the reports I've read there were combustible gases due to an electrical issue underground that was building combustible gases in what appeared to be a sealed area." Shockey said.
The city's preliminary investigation points to another problem that may have made the explosion worse. Manholes temporarily covered during road construction may have prevented those gases from escaping. When they ignited, the pressure was strong enough to damage the road above.
Chaney was there as crews worked to make temporary repairs to the heavily damaged road.
But before the explosion, firefighters were already responding to an emergency at the Leon County Courthouse. Tallahassee Fire Department Deputy Chief Richard Jones says crews were dispatched after a fire alarm went off around 5:15 that morning. While checking the building, they heard an explosion outside.
"It was only a couple minutes that they were in the rear of the building, and they heard what took place out here. The noise made them come around to the front and discover that they did have fire coming out of the street." Jones said.
Smoke poured from manholes, the courthouse was evacuated, and parts of South Monroe Street remained closed for hours.
Two important questions remain unanswered: What caused the electrical cable to fail in the first place? And what actually ignited the gases?
Chaney also reached out to the City of Tallahassee and requested an interview with utility officials to get a better understanding of what went wrong. A city spokesperson said an interview is not possible right now, but she'll let me know if that changes.
The city has brought in an independent engineering firm to review its findings.
We're still working to get answers from city officials about who installed the manhole coverings and what caused the original cable failure.
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