Electrical fire leaves capital city’s downtown without power

An electrical fire closed much of downtown Tallahassee Tuesday morning, as police barricaded streets amid fires in the roadway with visible damage to the pavement, the City of Tallahassee said.

The first alert came at 5:15 a.m. from a fire alarm at the Leon County Courthouse, which sits roughly across the street from the Florida Capitol Complex. The Tallahassee Fire Department responded and ruled out early reports of a possible gas leak. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that manhole covers were blasted into the air.

Seen outside was a drone, a hazmat response vehicle, and the Tallahassee Police Department directing traffic. The block surrounding the Leon County Courthouse was closed to traffic and the traffic lights in the area immediately surrounding the courthouse were not operational.

“The bulk of the impacts occurred on Monroe Street between Jefferson Street and Apalachee Parkway in the area of a paving project being facilitated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT),” the city said.

Tallahassee city utilities shut down the electric grid so workers could address the situation, which shut down traffic lights. Generators were brought in to run lights at key intersections.

By around 1 p.m., 153 customers remained dark downtown, according to the public utility

“TFD, the Tallahassee Police Department, City of Tallahassee Electric & Gas Utility, City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure department, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Capitol Police and FDOT coordinated the early morning response, remain on scene and will continue to work throughout the day,” the city said.

The cause of the problem remained under investigation.