NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) – An explosion shook the nearly deserted streets of downtown Nashville in the early hours of Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings and injuring three people. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional.
Nashville Metro Police Chief John Drake said police were responding to a report of gunfire when they came across a RV that sounded a recording that said a potential bomb was to detonate within 15 minutes. . Police evacuated nearby buildings and called the bomb squad.
“Soon after, the RV exploded,” Drake said at a noon press conference.
The surveillance video posted Friday on a Twitter account that appeared to be recorded from the street captured an audio recording that included the warning: “… if you can hear this message, evacuate now.” The blast was captured on surveillance video seconds later.
Nashville Metro Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, though none were in critical condition. However, authorities do not know if anyone was in the vehicle when it exploded.
Aaron said earlier that some people were taken to the department’s headquarters for questioning, but declined to give further details.
The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, spokesman Joel Siskovic said. Federal investigators from the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosive violations and acts of terrorism.
At noon, police dogs continued to search for cars and buildings in the nearby area.
A Philadelphia man staying at a nearby hotel said that when the blast broke out, it was known not to be a harmless noise.
“It was a very strong explosion,” Joseph Fafara said. “We tried to rationalize whether it was an earthquake or something. But it was obvious that it was not an earthquake. He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family at Christmas because the state has lower COVID-19 restrictions than Philadelphia.
Fafara took to the streets to look at the damage, but police barricades had already been set up.
Early Friday morning saw black smoke and flames coming out of the area, full of bars, restaurants and other retail establishments, and which is known as the heart of the downtown Nashville tourist scene.
Buildings faltered in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom. Among the buildings affected was an AT&T facility. Some services were disrupted, the company said.
“Service for some customers in Nashville and surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities due to the explosion this morning. We are in contact with law enforcement and are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service, ”AT&T spokesman Jim Greer said in an emailed statement.
The RV was parked near an AT&T-owned building, one block from the AT&T office tower. “We don’t know if it was a coincidence or if that was the intention,” Aaron said.
Some police agencies report that their 911 systems have crashed due to the AT&T shutdown. The Murfreesboro police department said via Twitter that its 911 lines were currently inactive due to an AT&T cut. Knox County, which h includes Knoxville, reported similar problems with its 911 lines.
Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook showing water spilling from the roof of his house. Alarms sound in the background and the cries of people with great anguish sound in the background. A fire is visible on the street outside.
McCoy says he heard gunshots 15 minutes before the explosion shook his building. McCoy said the windows in his house were completely blown up.
“All my windows, all of them, were blown up in the next room. If I had been there, it would have been horrible, ”he said.
“It simply came to our notice then. It was so big, “he told The Associated Press.
“There were about four cars on fire. I don’t know if it was so hot that they just burned and the trees were all destroyed, ”he said.
President Donald Trump has been informed, according to White House spokeswoman Judd Deere, that Trump, who is spending the holidays in Florida, will continue to receive periodic updates. The U.S. Department of Justice said acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also informed and directed all departmental resources to assist them in the investigation.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Please join @MariaLeeTN and me in praying for the injured and we thank all our first attendees who acted so quickly this morning. “
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was lucky the number of injured was limited.
The American Tennessee Red Cross announced that he was working with officials to open a shelter for the victims.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington contributed. Beaty reported from New York.