A fire tore through a vape store at 818 Murfreesboro Pike on Friday morning, forcing Nashville Fire Department crews to shut down all westbound lanes near Interstate 24 and Spence Lane as smoke billowed from the shop's front door. The blaze remained an active scene as firefighters worked to contain it, and officials urged drivers to find another route while the closure was in effect.
Nashville Fire Department crews were dispatched to a reported fire at the vape store and arrived to find dark smoke coming from the front door, according to WSMV. The department requested a fire investigator to the scene, a step consistent with how the Nashville Fire Department's Fire and Arson Investigation Division typically handles commercial structure blazes, dispatching specialized personnel to determine origin, cause, and any potential criminal intent, per the Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management.
Why a Vape Shop Fire Raises Extra Red Flags
Vape retailers carry their own set of fire hazards because of the lithium-ion batteries packed into their inventory. The U.S. Fire Administration warns that battery failures in vaping products can trigger “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction that can cause enclosed battery casings to explode or vent intense heat, according to Barnett Howard & Williams PLLC. National Fire Protection Association guidance also notes that these battery fires demand heavy volumes of water for cooling, since damaged cells can reignite even after the visible flames appear to be out, a factor that may explain why the front-door smoke described in the WSMV report looked so dark and persistent.
The 818 Murfreesboro Pike address sits inside an 11,844-square-foot retail plaza near Spence Lane and I-24 that houses several neighborhood businesses along with a utility payment station, according to a Loopnet listing. That stretch of road carries heavy daily commuter traffic as a major arterial link between South Nashville, Antioch, downtown, and the airport, per the Metropolitan Planning Commission, which is why the westbound shutdown near the interstate junction had the potential to snarl commutes across the corridor.
A Corridor With a Troubled Recent History
Friday's fire is only the latest incident to draw emergency crews to this section of Murfreesboro Pike. In October 2025, Metro Nashville Police discovered human skeletal remains in a wooded area behind the strip mall at this same address, and cold case detectives positively identified them in March as a 40-year-old missing man, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Just a few blocks away, police launched an armed robbery investigation in February after a gunman held up the Xclusive Vape and Smoke Shop at 573 Murfreesboro Pike, one of several hold-ups tied to vape retailers along the corridor.
Hoodline has also covered a smoke shop stickup on the pike and reported on a double shooting that sent two people to the hospital in a commercial parking lot at 888 Murfreesboro Pike in May. Together with Friday's fire, the incidents underscore how frequently emergency crews have been called to this stretch near Spence Lane in recent months.
New State Rules for Vape and Hemp Retailers
The fire also comes amid a shifting regulatory landscape for Tennessee vape shops. House Bill 1376 took effect January 1, moving licensing and oversight of the state's vape and hemp retailers from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, according to ATLRx. That change followed Public Chapter 423, enacted in 2023, which imposed a mandatory 6% retail privilege tax on hemp-derived cannabinoid products sold in vape shops on top of standard state and local sales taxes.
As of Friday, the fire scene remained active, and no cause had been determined. It is not yet known whether the blaze originated from vape battery inventory or another source, a question the requested fire investigator will be tasked with answering.
