An explosion tore through the electrical room of a Tacoma apartment complex Sunday evening, sending flames and debris flying toward firefighters who had just forced open the door — and touching off an evacuation of eight buildings with no reported injuries.
The Tacoma Fire Department responded around 5:37 p.m. to 6400 S. 12th St. after receiving reports of an explosion and smoke coming from an electrical conduit. Video recorded at the scene showed firefighters pulling open the electrical room door as thick smoke rolled out, then a blast erupted through the doorway — shattering windows and hurling vertical blinds and debris outward as crews scrambled back.
No firefighters or residents were hurt.
The evacuation
Fire alarms sounded after a resident pulled the alarm, and crews evacuated all eight buildings as a precaution. “Eight buildings evacuated indefinitely. No active fire,” the Tacoma Fire Department posted on X shortly after the incident.
Displaced residents were temporarily sheltered at Hunt Middle School. Officials said an electrical transformer malfunction pushed smoke into multiple buildings while Tacoma Public Utilities and fire investigators worked on the scene.
In a later update, the department clarified that the explosion occurred inside the electrical room after firefighters had already cut power to the building — a detail that added an unexpected wrinkle to what crews initially approached as a smoke investigation.
What’s next
Tacoma Public Utilities eventually cleared residents to return to all but one of the buildings — the 600 building — while crews worked to restore power there. The American Red Cross assisted residents displaced from that structure.
The cause of the blast remained under investigation by Tacoma Public Utilities and fire investigators as of Sunday night.
