TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – One downtown Tallahassee business expects to operate a bit slower than usual Tuesday after an underground electrical fire took place nearby.
Metro Deli is located just two blocks from where Tallahassee city officials said the fire-related incident unfolded and left damage on Monroe Street Tuesday morning.
The incident transpired around 5:15 a.m. after the Tallahassee Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Leon County Courthouse, according to the City of Tallahassee.
Crews arrived on scene and found “several fires in the roadways and visible damage that caused traffic impacts near Monroe Street, Apalachee Parkway and Calhoun Street,” per the city.
As of Tuesday morning, officials said that the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The downtown business Metro Deli is up and running. However, Rob Bazemore, owner of the eatery, said that with roads closed and downtown offices shut down, he is not expecting his usual rush.
“I’m guessing today, if nothing else, is going to be a little slower than usual because our customer base is mostly walking from that direction and close to us,” he said. “I’m assuming today will be a little slower than usual, but hopefully it gets resolved quickly and everyone is okay.”
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Due to the early morning incident, the city shut off power so crews could safely make road repairs.
But the outage knocked out traffic signals and affected businesses, including Metro Deli.
“We were a little concerned that we were going to be out of power for the day but luckily it was brief and it came back on fairly quickly,” Bazemore said.
The disruption also forced Bazemore to reschedule deliveries in the downtown area.
“It’s just rescheduled for all the reasons you can imagine. They weren’t sure if they could get their folks in the building to be able to accept it, so we’ll keep on trucking,” the owner said. “Everything will be alright.”
Furthermore, Bazemore said his morning commute was anything but routine.
The business is hopeful that operations will return to normal Wednesday morning.
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