Tunnel Fire Forces Tennessee Capitol Evacuation

NASHVILLE, TN — A construction fire in one of the new tunnels forced the evacuation of the Tennessee Capitol building Monday afternoon.

Crews are building a new access tunnel between the Cordell Hull building and the capitol itself ahead of the relocation of the General Assembly and legislative staff to the refurbished office next year. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

A small fire broke out in that tunnel Monday afternoon and the Capitol was evacuated. Because it was relatively late in the and the legislature is not in session, the building was comparatively empty .

The fire was quickly contained and there were no injuries. The Nashville Fire Department is investigating.

Image via Wikimedia user Kaldari, used under Creative Commons