Explosion at Texas Institute of Technology It led to campus-wide evacuation and rank cancellations on Wednesday, March 12th, after multiple fires and blackouts took over the Lubbock campus.
Photos circulating online show that the eerie green flames that exploded from a manhole cover at Texas Tech increased the mystery of the event.
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Explosion at Texas Tech erupts evacuation and campus closure
Texas Tech officials later confirmed that the explosion was coming from the manhole, urging safety concerns and emergency response.
“TechAlert! There is a power outage on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock that affects multiple areas,” the university announced at 7:30pm local time.
By 9:34pm, the campus and the Texas Tech Police Department issued a follow-up statement confirming the impact of the explosion.
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“The manhole explosion has affected multiple locations on the Texas Tech campus, causing widespread power outages at both the Texas Tech and the Health Science Center,” the update read. “Engineering Keys are evacuated. We ask the public to avoid campus. More information will be provided when it becomes available.”
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Lubbock Fire Rescue deals with the incident
Lubbock Fire Rescue said it had responded to a potential gas leak around 7pm and addressed the incident in a press release
“Engine 4 was first arrived on site and multiple manholes were found to be producing active fire and smoke,” the statement elaborated. “Engine 4 promptly requested additional units to mitigate the rapidly escalating scene, and a second alarm was called by Battalion 1 for the personnel.”
“At this point, evacuations are separated into specific areas of campus,” the statement concluded. “If you’re not on campus, you don’t need to evacuate the area.”
As things continue to unfold, Texas Tech confirmed with a 10:12pm update that the campus remains closed on Thursday, March 13th and Friday, March 14th.
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Texas Tech will close campus early for spring break
The university has also announced that spring break, which was originally scheduled to begin on Monday, will “begin soon.”
“Students living in campus dorms are encouraged to delay their departure until Nikko on Thursday morning,” the statement read.
With power still rising across campus, university officials urged students and employees to avoid the engineering key area. Employees were also encouraged not to return to campus to collect their belongings until further notice.
Fortunately, authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported. Firefighters remained on the scene to help the university handle the situation, but authorities continued to investigate the cause of the explosion.
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Social media responds to a mysterious green explosion
Although authorities have not yet determined exactly what causes this situation, many users of X, a social media platform previously known as Twitter, have visited the comments section of the viral video to share their opinions on the issue.
David M., a long-distance driver at OTR who retired early, proposed:
“The green flame is caused by copper from electrical infrastructure or pipelines, especially when there is an electrical fault that ignites flammable gases such as methane from sewage.
“I saw something about the electric transformer fire. It could turn green from vaporized copper,” said Donald Mitchell, who is associated with Princeton University.
Is copper responsible?
Another social media user going in Justin’s case reflected copper theory.
“Green fire arises from metals such as copper, barium, and boron, and emits energy at certain wavelengths in the visible spectrum. Copper in particular is responsible for most green fire. Compounds containing copper heat emit photons in the green part of the spectrum that our eyes perceive as emerald frames.”
The cause of the explosion is under investigation as emergency crews continue to monitor the area.