Access will only be granted to buildings considered safe by structural engineers, Metro Nashville police chief Chris Taylor said during a news conference on Monday.
It could take several days for someone to enter other buildings on the street where the explosion occurred, he said.
A recreational vehicle was parked on 2nd Avenue North in front of an AT&T broadcast building on Friday, when a message was sent to neighbors warning them to evacuate before the vehicle exploded, damaging more than 40 buildings and injuring at least eight people.
Although the extent of his injuries was not revealed, all patients were discharged, TriStar Centennial Medical Center spokeswoman Jill Newham said on Monday.
And while AT&T says most of the service in the area has been restored, residents say the photos they are seeing of the rubble are impressive.
“I know these streets like the back of my hand. It’s my life. It’s my love. I’ve been there every day of the week for years, and I can’t even know what the store was or is or where (it is) almost And it’s truly heartbreaking, “Pete Gibson, the owner of Pride & Glory Tattoo on 2nd Avenue, told CNN.
“This year has been difficult,” Gibson told Natasha Chen of CNN. “Obviously, it is a little below normal. But just when we have a little light at the end of the tunnel, everything disappears in two seconds.”
An explosion in a historic street
Several hours later, residents reported the sound of quick shots and the police responded to the historic street at around 5:30 am.
Then, the vehicle began transmitting a computerized female voice warning that an explosion would occur in 15 minutes. The trailer also broadcast Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown”, a song about how the bustle of the city center can cure a lonely person’s problems.
When the countdown ended, the message changed.
“If you can hear this message, evacuate now,” said the voice at around 6:30 am. “If you can hear this message, evacuate now.”
Then, the RV exploded.
“I just saw the biggest flames I’ve ever seen, the biggest explosion,” said officer Amanda Topping. “I just saw orange and … I felt the heat, the wave.”
With no one taking responsibility and intending to avoid mass casualties, the authorities spent the next few days looking for the bomber’s identity.
Identified Bomber
Warner’s father previously worked for AT&T, confirmed Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch on Monday. He said investigators are investigating whether this could be relevant to the reason behind the bombing.
Warner, from Antioch, Tennessee, had not previously been on police radar, said Rausch, the director of the TBI.
FBI agent Doug Korneski said investigators are interviewing people who knew Warner to try to find a possible reason. There is no indication that anyone else was involved, he said.
“These answers will not come quickly,” said Korneski. “While we may be able to answer some of these questions … none of these answers will be sufficient for those affected by this event.”
Rick Laude, Warner’s neighbor since 2010, told CNN on Monday that he spoke to Warner four days before the attack.
“I said, ‘Hey, Anthony, is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas?'” Said Laude. “He said, ‘Yes, I will be more famous. I will be so famous that Nashville will never forget me.'”
Laude said he thought Warner was referring to something good happening.
“Let me be very clear, he and I were not friends,” he said. “You won’t find anyone in my neighborhood who claims to be friends with him. He was just a legitimate inmate.”
Remains of the RV were recovered from the scene and Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators were able to determine the vehicle’s identification number, officials said on Sunday. Korneski said the VIN number corresponds to a vehicle registered with Warner.
A tip about the trailer took the police to Warner’s home on Bakertown Road, a police officer told CNN. Federal investigators were at home on Saturday conducting “court-authorized activities,” FBI spokesman Jason Pack told CNN.
The investigators positively identified Warner by comparing the DNA of the scene with that of gloves and a hat from a vehicle owned by him, Rausch said on Monday.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Hollie SIlverman, Eric Levenson, Amir Vera, Kay Jones and Natasha Chen contributed to this report.