By KIMBERLEE KRUESI, MICHAEL BALSAMO and ERIC TUCKER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A recreational vehicle parked on the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early on Christmas morning, causing widespread interruptions in communications that brought down police emergency systems and prevented holiday travel at the city’s airport.
Police were responding to a report of shots fired on Friday when they found the trailer with a recorded warning that a bomb would go off in 15 minutes, said Metro Nashville police chief John Drake. The police evacuated nearby buildings and called the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly after, Drake said.
“This morning’s attack on our community aimed to create chaos and fear in this time of peace and hope. But Nashvill residents have repeatedly proved that the spirit of our city cannot be broken, ”Mayor John Cooper said at a news conference after issuing a curfew for the area.
The police believe the explosion was intentional, but still do not know the reason or target, and Drake noted that the officers had not received any threats before the explosion.
The chief said investigators at the scene “found tissue that we believe may be debris, but we will examine it and let you know at that time.” The police could not say whether it potentially came from someone inside the trailer.
Three people taken to hospitals in the region for treatment were in stable condition on Friday night, Cooper said.
The surveillance video posted on a Twitter account on Friday that appeared to be across the street from the explosion captured the warning issued by the trailer, “… if you can hear this message, evacuate now”, seconds before the explosion .
The explosion sent black smoke and flames from the center of Nashville’s tourist scene, an area full of restaurants, shops and restaurants. Buildings swayed and windows shattered on the streets of the blast near an AT&T-owned building one block from the company’s office tower, a landmark in the city center.
“We don’t know if this was a coincidence or if that was the intention,” said police spokesman Don Aaron. He said earlier that some people had been taken to the department’s central police station for questioning, but declined to give details.
AT&T said the affected building is the central office of a telephone exchange, with network equipment in it. The explosion interrupted the service, but the company declined to say how widespread the disruptions were.
The AT&T outage website showed service problems in central Tennessee and Kentucky. Several law enforcement agencies reported that their 911 systems were disabled because of the outage, including Knox County, home to Knoxville about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Nashville.
AT&T said it was bringing portable cell phone locations and working with the police to gain access to and repair its equipment. The company noted that “energy is essential to restore” the service.
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily suspended flights from Nashville International Airport because of telecommunications problems associated with the explosion. Later on Friday, the Nashville Metropolitan Airport Authority said most flights were being resumed, but advised passengers to check for updates with their airline due to possible delays.
The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, said agency spokesman Joel Siskovic. Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosive violations and acts of terrorism.
A Philadelphia man who was staying at a nearby hotel said that when he heard the explosion, he knew it was not harmless.
“We tried to rationalize that it was an earthquake or something, but it was obviously not an earthquake,” said Joseph Fafara.
When he went to check the damage, the police barricades had already been placed.
Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook that show water running down the roof of his home. Alarms sound in the background along with screams from people in danger. A fire is visible in the street outside.
McCoy said he heard gunshots 15 minutes before the explosion shook his building, set cars on fire in the street and blew trees up.
“All my windows, each one exploded in the next room. If I were there, it would have been awful, ”he said.
“It looked like a bomb. It was so big, ”he told the Associated Press.
President Donald Trump has been informed, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere. The U.S. Department of Justice said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also briefed and directed all of the department’s resources to assist with the investigation.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who was responsible”.
The American Red Cross of Tennessee announced that it was working with authorities to open a shelter for the victims.
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Associated Press writer Thalia Beaty of New York contributed. Balsamo and Tucker reported from Washington.