Updated 6:50 p.m. Central Time
A recreational vehicle parked on Nashville’s historic Second Avenue this morning gave an audio warning for people to evacuate before it exploded, injuring three, destroying the facades and streetscape of the tourist area, and damaging a phone service transmission facility.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake says human tissue may have been found at the scene and says his department will continue to investigate before confirming more details. The Associated Press says sources tell them “human remains” were found in the vicinity of the explosion.
The chief says at this point, the motive and why Christmas Day was chosen is still unclear.
“Total surprise,” Drake said. “We had no pre-warnings at all.”
Security camera footage posted to YouTube of the moments leading up to the blast also include audio. “If you can hear this message, evacuate now,” a recorded voice says over and over. Police say they heard the message, giving them roughly 15 minutes to clear nearby buildings.
“They heard the announcements coming from this vehicle. They took them seriously and were working to seal the streets to protect folks, and we think it worked. We think lives were saved,” says Don Aaron, spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The FBI is now reviewing surveillance footage in the area and asking for witnesses to provide any tips they may have to fbi.gov/nashville.
“We need your leads. We need your help,” says FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt Foster. “We will find out what happened here.”
Authorities are also circulating an image of the RV, which they say arrived on the street at 1:22 a.m.
BREAKING: This is the RV that exploded on 2nd Ave N this morning. It arrived on 2nd Ave at 1:22 a.m. Have you seen this vehicle in our area or do you have information about it? Please contact us via Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or online via https://t.co/dVGS7o0m4v. @ATFHQ pic.twitter.com/JNx9sDinAH
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
Searching for motive and way forward
Mayor John Cooper says he’s felt many emotions, beginning with relief that there were not more casualties, but changing during the day.
“Anger and determination and resolve — and a resolve to rebuild and not to be deterred and to bring whoever was responsible for this to justice,” he said.
The six police officers that responded to the event are currently recovering.
“These incredible heroes, who ran to danger with uncertain outcomes ahead of them, were responsible for so many injuries being saved,” the mayor said.
“They cared about the citizens of Nashville and they went in,” said the chief, “and we’d be talking not about the debris that we have here, but maybe potential people.”
Cooper also announced that the city will be working with the state to rebuild Second avenue after 41 businesses were damaged. He said the area will need “special help” to be rebuilt.
Nashville Fire Chief William Swann says one building collapsed, and others could be dangerous because of their age and the effects of water and cold weather. The urban search-and-rescue team has been working with structural engineers to decide which are safe to enter.
“The integrity of those buildings are in question, so we’re trying to make sure we do have everybody in place and safety for all personnel,” Swann said.
Widespread impact
Just after 4 p.m., the mayor issued a curfew that applies to a swath of downtown Nashville near the blast site.
As part of a declaration of a state of emergency, the curfew began at 4:30 on Friday evening and lifts at the same time on Sunday. Its boundaries are James Robertson Parkway, Fourth Avenue North, Broadway and the Cumberland River.
Meanwhile, downed AT&T service has complicated communications across the region this afternoon.
As of right now, police say it may be just a coincidence that the blast occurred outside an AT&T transmission building at 166 Second Ave. N. But people around the region, including numerous law enforcement agencies, have reported communication outages, including for 911.
Outages range from first responders in Williamson County to Mt. Juliet and as far as Knox County, Tenn., and Christian County, Ky., as well as many more.
“Service for some customers in Nashville and the surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning,” AT&T spokesman Jim Geer says in a statement. “We are in contact with law enforcement and working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service.”
The AT&T outage also caused the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily halt flights at Nashville International Airport. Now most flights are taking off while others continue to be delayed. WeGo bus service also lost phone service and suspended rides for the day.
Relief to those impacted is coming together from two sources. The local chapter of the Red Cross is receiving victims displaced by the explosion, as well as volunteers, at the East Park Community Center at 700 Woodland St. Its care and condolence team will be on hand, and sheltering needs will be evaluated.
And a relief fund has been organized by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The organization says it will help nonprofits who are working with those impacted. Information is online at www.CFMT.org/neighbors.
What we know about the timeline
Nashville police say an RV arrived on Second Avenue North at 1:22 a.m.
Officers responded to a call of shots fired at 5:30 Friday morning. Instead of gunfire, they found this suspicious RV that exploded as a bomb squad was en route.
The blast around 6:30 a.m. knocked down an officer and left another with temporary hearing loss, according to police spokesman Don Aaron. The blast shattered windows and damaged buildings for several blocks, littering the street with bricks and debris. The explosion charred several cars and toppled trees lining the iconic street.
Despite the destruction, just three people were transported to hospitals with minor injuries. However, police say they do not know if there was anyone inside the RV.
The human toll would have been much higher had it not been a holiday.
“Any other morning, it would have been a much worse story,” Mayor John Cooper says.
No motive has been suggested, but investigators believe the explosion was intentional. However, they do not think there are other threats. Still, police conducted protective sweeps with canine units. Much of downtown remains shut down.
Our canine teams are doing protective sweeps in the downtown area. Traffic downtown is restricted. pic.twitter.com/SAH25JZwIg
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
Footage from the scene on 2nd Ave North as multiple agencies continue to work and investigate an explosion from earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/5g40RhwNNl
— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) December 25, 2020
Our canine teams are doing protective sweeps in the downtown area. Traffic downtown is restricted. pic.twitter.com/SAH25JZwIg
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation, according to a spokesperson, and Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen has offered any Department of Justice resources that could assist the investigation.
More: Photos from a Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville
Blast heard widely
Residents from as far away as Brentwood reported feeling and hearing the blast. WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, on the scene about an hour after it occurred, says windows along the river were blown out and various alarms were going off. The roof on one building was at least partially collapsed.
“It is hard to see so much glass, litter damage and debris. It looks like a blast site, which is hard to see on one of our historic streets,” Mayor Cooper said.
Some photos showing damage on 2nd Ave North as multiple agencies continue to work and investigate an explosion from earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/0cWA3oUCDl
— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) December 25, 2020
Aerial photos from NewsChannel5 show how powerful the blast was. There was no RV visible, though other cars appear to have been burned.
Here's a look at Second Avenue from Sky5 after police say a vehicle exploded early Friday morning. https://t.co/f1i4QWgjIr pic.twitter.com/kL1bEkrF6C
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) December 25, 2020
People who were downtown when the blast occurred began posting photos to social media immediately. Buck McCoy, who works at Legends Corner, posted this video on Facebook from Second Avenue from within a building where the windows were broken out and water poured down from fire sprinklers. Wailing could be heard from residents escaping the scene.
Police and fire attending huge explosion which shook downtown #Nashville at 06.30. pic.twitter.com/4hyLFWbDfo
— Tony Husband (@TonyHusband) December 25, 2020
Explosion 2nd Ave N Nashville pic.twitter.com/qhifSTMYSh
— James Green (@babeteamgreen) December 25, 2020
Jeremy Schott, who lives in a high rise on Second Avenue and Demonbreun Street, told WPLN News the blast shook his building, though he initially thought it was thunder. He watched fire personnel and police running around the scene.
Please say a little prayer for anyone affected by this – ambulances lining Broadway and coming/going. I don’t know if the building/area was residential or commercial. We haven’t left our building. Whole area around downtown seems blocked off pic.twitter.com/GD0qaPLZOI
— Jeremy Schott (@thejeremyschott) December 25, 2020
Later in the morning, downtown resident Cristian Sahdala returned to his apartment — about three blocks from the blast site — to find bottles knocked off shelves and scratches on the ground. He saw police sweeping the area with dogs. He showed an ID to authorities to enter his building.
He says he chose to live downtown to be in the heart of the city, but that he’s scared enough to stay elsewhere tonight.
“I am worried because I don’t know why it happened. I don’t see why — I don’t see a reason why it happened, why, you known, on that street, and why now? Right on Christmas?” Sahdala said.
Cristian Sahdala lives about a block away & was at his parents’ house when he got the news. He came home to find police outside, bottles knocked over & scratches on the floor. He says he definitely won’t be staying in his apartment tonight. He’s not sure if he’ll feel safe there.
— Samantha Max (@samanthaellimax) December 25, 2020
WPLN News journalists Damon Mitchell, Samantha Max, Blake Farmer, Meribah Knight, Alexis Marshall, Emily Siner, Chas Sisk, Nina Cardona, Tony Gonzalez, and Ambriehl Crutchfield contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 WPLN News