An audio alert warned people to evacuate the area just seconds before an RV exploded in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
According to Nashville’s news channel 5, witnesses reported hearing gunshots and an audio warning coming from a parked RV that told people to evacuate the area. (RELATED: Massive Explosion Rocks Nashville. The Damage Is Devastating)
Local police said the RV had been reported as a “suspicious vehicle,” and that the RV had exploded when the hazardous devices unit arrived to investigate.
Video appears to capture the audio warning that continued to broadcast up to the moment of the blast.
BREAKING: Audio warning was being broadcast before explosion rocked downtown Nashville. Video shows moment of blast. pic.twitter.com/3IvciFH6BV
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 25, 2020
“If you can hear this message, evacuate now,” the warning repeated a number of times before the explosion.
Nashville explosion:
“If you can hear this message – evacuate now.”
omg…pic.twitter.com/xWZDgnEhmg
— Rex Chapman???????? (@RexChapman) December 25, 2020
Reports indicate that the explosion is being investigated as an intentional act. The FBI is on the scene, and President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.
As previously reported, the police were originally responding to a report of shots fired shortly prior to the explosion.