Nashville Rattled by Explosion Thought to Be Intentional

The explosion took place in front of an

AT&T

building on downtown Nashville’s Second Avenue North, causing communications outages and grounding planes at the city’s international airport. One building collapsed and at least 41 businesses were “materially damaged,” authorities said. The city instituted a curfew around the area until 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

“It will be some time before Second Avenue is back to normal,” said Mayor Cooper.

Three people hospitalized after the blast were all in stable condition as of Friday evening, the mayor said. Investigators were studying what law-enforcement officials described as human remains found near the site of the explosion but the remains haven’t yet been identified.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief

John Drake

said the explosion came as a total surprise and the police hadn’t received any threats before the incident. Authorities said they were unaware of other danger to the public.

Local officials described a harrowing early-morning scenario leading up to the blast, which took place at 6:30 a.m. Local police officers initially responded to reports of gunshots at 5:30 a.m. in the downtown area. As they arrived, they found a suspicious recreational vehicle on Second Avenue North outside the AT&T building. A recording coming from the vehicle said that a bomb would detonate within 15 minutes, Mr. Drake said.

Location of the Explosion

Around 5:30 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired around 178 2nd Ave N.

Occurred 6:30 a.m. around 166 2nd Ave N.

AT&T transmission

building

Around 5:30 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired around 178 2nd Ave N.

Occurred 6:30 a.m. around 166 2nd Ave N.

AT&T transmission

building

Around 5:30 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired around 178 2nd Ave N.

Occurred 6:30 a.m. around 166 2nd Ave N.

AT&T transmission

building

Occurred 6:30 a.m. around 166 2nd Ave. N.

Around 5:30 a.m., police responded to a report of shots

AT&T

transmission

building

“A countdown would go on, and then it would play music, and the countdown would start again,” Mr. Drake said.

From there, officers began an immediate evacuation of the area. Shortly after that, the vehicle exploded. One officer was “knocked off his feet,” authorities said. The chief said investigators were analyzing tissue found near the scene to determine whether it was connected to the person who set off the blast.

It was unclear why the suspect would explode an RV in a relatively deserted area of downtown, Mr. Drake added.

“Why Christmas morning? We have no idea,” he said, noting that when he got the call for an exploded RV he assumed it was the result of a gas leak.

Jeffrey and

Noelle Rasmussen,

a married couple who live in a condominium building near the explosion site, were among those suddenly left homeless by the blast.

The couple said they were sound asleep when they received a knock on their door from police with a warning to evacuate immediately. Still clad in their pajamas, they ran out as fast as possible, with their two boys, ages 1 and 4, and drove off. Ms. Rasmussen turned around as they were in the car and saw the explosion.

“I was like, ‘That’s us! That’s our house!’ ” she said.

The family is staying with a friend for now and are uncertain as to how much damage their building sustained. They said they won’t be able to have as much of a Christmas because they left without grabbing the presents under their tree.

But Mr. Rasmussen said that was the least of his concerns. “We’re grateful to be safe,” he said.

The area where the explosion took place is part of the city’s tourist section and includes restaurants and shops, as well as some offices, apartments and condominiums in renovated buildings. The explosion erupted next to an AT&T multistory switching center with no windows, and not in front of a restaurant or shop. The street, a block from the Cumberland River, is a short walk to major attractions, including the famed Ryman Auditorium, where country music acts perform.

The American Red Cross said it had set up a center to help those affected by the explosion. A spokeswoman with the organization said she was uncertain as to how many local residents would be needing shelter.

Chief William Swann, the Nashville fire director, said many people had been evacuated but declined to give a figure. The building that collapsed was directly across from the explosion site. The Fire Department is working to ensure the integrity of other buildings in the area. Many are old and were filled with water after the blast, he said.

Authorities have been seeking tips, sharing a picture of the white RV with gray stripes driving in the area at 1:22 a.m., hours before the explosion.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said its Memphis field office was leading the investigation, as the primary federal agency responsible for probing crimes such as acts of terrorism and explosives charges. Acting Attorney General

Jeffrey Rosen

also was briefed and directed all Justice Department resources be made available to assist in the probe, a spokesman said. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives also was trying to establish a timeline and determine how the blast occurred.

Matthew Foster,

an FBI assistant special agent in Nashville, said at a news briefing, “We’re putting everything we have into finding who is responsible for what’s happened here today.”

Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said that law enforcement has yet to determine if the AT&T building was a target of the blast.

An AT&T spokesman referred questions about the explosive’s target to law enforcement. The explosion took place near a central network hub.

“Service for some customers in Nashville and the surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning,” said AT&T spokesman

Jim Greer.

“We are in contact with law enforcement and working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service.”

The Federal Aviation Administration had halted flights from Nashville International Airport due to telecommunications issues associated with the blast, the airport said in a statement posted on Twitter. Most flights had resumed by Friday evening, but there were still some delays.

The blast hit a nondescript building and not the tall “Batman” office tower several blocks away. The hub building looks like many others across the country, while the office tower is a well-known landmark in Nashville.

President

Trump

was briefed on the explosion and will continue to receive periodic updates, according to White House spokesman

Judd Deere.

“The president is grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured,” Mr. Deere said.

—Dan Frosch, Cameron McWhirter, Andrew Restuccia and Drew FitzGerald contributed to this article.

Write to Sadie Gurman at sadie.gurman@wsj.com and Charles Passy at cpassy@wsj.com