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Middle Tennessee authorities responded to reports of an explosion at a midstate school early Tuesday (January 25) morning.
A temporary storage container sitting in a restricted area under construction at Poplar Grove Middle School on Del Rio Pike in Franklin exploded around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, per WKRN. Franklin Police said the school building was not damaged during the explosion, but a fire was reported on campus near the site of the incident before it was quickly extinguished.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the explosion is still under investigation. As of 9:45 a.m., the Franklin Fire Department believes it may have been caused by a propane leak and space heater. The storage container was holding tools and served as a workspace for construction workers.
According to News Channel 5, students were evacuated and held on the elementary side of the school until Franklin Fire cleared the area. Students who had been evacuated shortly after the explosion have since returned back to class.
Following the explosion, the Franklin Special School District issued a statement:
"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 appreciated 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."