What in the world just happened in front of the Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee?!

Posted on October 8, 2026 by State of the Nation

Photos, video show downtown Tallahassee explosion, fire damage

Photos, video show downtown Tallahassee explosion, fire damage
C. A. Bridges, Sarah Cheatham, Jeff Burlew
Tallahassee Democrat

Blasted manhole covers, a ruptured road in front of the Florida Capitol, and fire belching from underground greeted early morning Tallahassee commuters on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Police closed down the downtown core Tuesday morning as first responders arrived at a “fire-related incident” later described as “underground electrical fires” amid reports of explosions. While no injuries were reported, police said some manhole covers had been blown into the air.

The cause of the incident was still unknown as of 10 a.m. Work crews labored to fill in two craters around manholes in the middle of Monroe Street, one near Jefferson Street and another closer to Apalachee Parkway.

Here are our best photos and video from the downtown drama.

Eruption in downtown Tallahassee

Photo shows street damage and fire coming out of manhole in downtown Tallahassee, early on Oct. 6, 2026

A fire extinguisher is used inside a manhole on Gadsden Street in Tallahassee during an electrical fire related incident on Oct. 6, 2026.

An underground electrical fire in Tallahassee on Oct. 6 blasted manhole covers into the air and tore up roads downtown.

Tallahassee first responders and utility crews respond to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

A fire extinguisher is used inside a manhole on Gadsden Street in Tallahassee during an electrical fire related incident on Oct. 6, 2026.

Photos show street damage and fire coming out of manhole in downtown Tallahassee, early on Oct. 6, 2026

Tallahassee first responders and utility crews respond to a "fire-related incident" on Oct. 6, 2026, described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" that left a crater in the road.

An underground electrical fire in Tallahassee on Oct. 6 blasted manhole covers into the air and tore up roads downtown.

Tallahassee Police Department Officers in downtown Tallahassee during a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee utility crews respond to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Pieces of a manhole in the middle of Gadsden Street during a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" in downtown Tallahassee on Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee traffic backed up downtown as crews repair road

Traffic backs up near the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee as crews work on a crater created by an underground explosion, cause still unknown, on Oct. 6, 2026.

An underground electrical fire in Tallahassee on Oct. 6 blasted manhole covers into the air and tore up roads downtown.

Work crews repair road crater in downtown Tallahassee

Tallahassee utility crews and Florida Department of Transportation employees respond to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Crews work on a crater created by an underground explosion, cause still unknown, in front of the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Oct. 6, 2026.

Crews work on a crater created by an underground explosion, cause still unknown, in front of the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee utility crews and Florida Department of Transportation employees respond to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Pieces of a manhole in the middle of Gadsden Street during a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" in downtown Tallahassee on Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee Fire Department responds to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee utility crews and Florida Department of Transportation employees respond to a "fire-related incident," described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" on Oct. 6, 2026.

Tallahassee first responders and utility crews respond to a "fire-related incident" on Oct. 6, 2026, described as "underground electrical fires" and "explosions" that left a crater in the road.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.

____
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2026/10/06/tallahassee-explosion-damage-photos-video/92117113007/

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.