An explosion was reported at a local middle school in Franklin, Tennessee at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 25th.
The explosion came from a temporary storage container at Poplar Grove Middle School on Del Rio Pike, in an on-campus construction area. Students were evacuated from the campus following the incident.
Franklin police have confirmed that no one was injured when the storage container exploded, and the actual school building was not damaged.
The Franklin Police Department released a statement on Twitter soon after the incident, writing: “No injuries, no damage to Poplar Grove Middle School after a temporary storage container exploded in an on-campus construction area. The fire is out, students have been released to their classes, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.”
#HappeningNow No injuries, no damage to Poplar Grove Middle School after a temporary storage container exploded in an on-campus construction area. The fire is out, students have been released to their classes, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation.
— Franklin Police Dept (@FranklinTNPD) January 25, 2022
Video of the aftermath was shared on Twitter by the Franklin Fire Department, who wrote: “No injuries or school damage sustained following @franklinspecial Poplar Grove Middle School construction site explosion. Cause of blast believed to be propane leak and space heater.”
No injuries or school damage sustained following @franklinspecial Poplar Grove Middle School construction site explosion. Cause of blast believed to be propane leak and space heater: https://t.co/9T8yG2wOQJ pic.twitter.com/kr18BSG2op
— Franklin Fire Department, Franklin, TN (@FranklinFire) January 25, 2022
The Franklin Special School District released a statement following the incident, which read:
“This morning there was an explosion in a container within the construction storage area on the Poplar Grove Middle campus. A resulting fire that was limited to the restricted area was extinguished within 15 minutes. There were no injuries and students are back in class. We appreciate the very quick response of the Franklin Fire Department and other emergency responders. Emergency personnel may remain on site throughout the morning to finish investigating and cleaning the affected area.”