Students were evacuated after an explosion at Texas Tech University.

The blast triggered multiple fires and power outages on Wednesday evening, March 12, prompting class cancellations for the remainder of the week.

Authorities said the incident occurred around 8 pm when power abruptly went out at the Robert H. Ewalt Recreation Centre.

Initially believed to be a substation explosion, officials later confirmed the blast happened at a manhole.

Dramatic footage shows flames erupting from manholes, with clouds of grey smoke shrouding the area.

Lubbock Fire Rescue Captain Jon Tunnell reported no injuries, but several campus buildings were evacuated as a precaution.

An email to the campus community said: 'An explosion occurred in a tunnel, causing a fire. The fire spread, leading to outages on the Texas Tech campus. Electricity and gas were shut down across both the Texas Tech and Health Sciences Center campuses in Lubbock to prevent further spread. The fire was successfully extinguished Wednesday evening.'

It remains unclear what caused the explosion.

Power was partially restored by the following morning as crews continued their efforts to secure the area.