Wild video captures apartment complex electrical room explosion as firefighters investigate smoke call

An explosion tore through the electrical room of a Tacoma apartment complex on Sunday evening, sending flames and debris toward firefighters who had just opened the door to investigate reports of smoke.

Crews with the Tacoma Fire Department arrived at the complex, located at 6400 South 12th Street, around 5:37 p.m. after receiving calls about an explosion and smoke coming from an electrical conduit, the department said. Fire alarms sounded after a resident pulled the alarm, prompting crews to begin evacuating surrounding buildings as a precaution.

Video recorded at the scene captured the moment a group of firefighters forced open the electrical room door. Thick smoke poured out into the hallway, and seconds later a powerful blast erupted from the doorway, shattering windows and sending vertical blinds and debris flying outward. Firefighters quickly retreated from the building. The person filming briefly turned the camera away after the explosion, then refocused on the crew checking on one another as they moved away from the damaged structure.

In a post on X, the Tacoma Fire Department confirmed that no firefighters or residents were injured.

Initial reports indicated that a malfunctioning electrical transformer had pushed smoke into multiple buildings while Tacoma Public Utilities and fire investigators worked to determine what had gone wrong. Apartment residents were temporarily sheltered at Hunt Middle School.

The department later provided additional detail, stating that the explosion occurred inside the electrical room after firefighters had shut off power to the building. "Explosion occurred in the electrical room where firefighters shut power off to the building," the Tacoma Fire Department wrote on X.

In subsequent updates, officials said eight buildings had been evacuated indefinitely and that there was no active fire at the scene. Tacoma Public Utilities later cleared residents to return to every building except the 600 building as crews worked to restore power. The American Red Cross assisted residents who had been displaced from that building.

The Tacoma Fire Department said the cause of the explosion remained under investigation.