Cassadee Pope Felt Nashville Explosion From Home: ‘Our House Shook’

A downtown Nashville explosion was felt throughout Davidson County early Christmas morning, with country singer Cassadee Pope revealing the blast “shook” her house. Pope reacted to the explosion early Friday morning, writing in a tweet that she is “praying nobody was hurt.” She added that it “seems like it was an explosion of some sort downtown.”

Pope was among numerous Nashville residents reacting to the explosion Friday morning. The blast occurred at around 6:30 a.m. local time near Second Avenue and Commerce Street in downtown. It sent thick black smoke billowing above the skyline that could be seen for miles, with the explosion rocking nearby neighborhoods.

“At 6:32 Christmas morning, [Metro Nashville PD] and [Nashville Fire Department] responded to the scene of an explosion on 2nd Ave, approximately one block north of Broadway. Metro Police confirm the source of the explosion came from a vehicle,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said in a statement shortly after the explosion. “The cause of the explosion is under investigation with help from federal authorities. MNPD will share updates as they become available and is restricting downtown traffic. Be safe Nashville. Thank you to our emergency personnel for your quick response.”

The explosion, linked to an RV in the area, caused damage to the surrounding area, with windows shattered on buildings, multiple cars set aflame, and trees toppled and blackened. Alarms could be heard going off in damaged buildings, where water was also pouring in from burst pipes. Buck McCoy, an eyewitness, told CNN “There was trees laying everywhere, glass laying everywhere.” Mayor Cooper estimated that about 20 buildings had been damaged and said the downtown area would be “sealed off” for further investigation.

At this time, few details are available regarding the explosion, and the investigation is ongoing. In a brief news conference Friday morning, Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron confirmed, “we do believe that the explosion was an intentional act.” He called the explosion “significant,” with Nashville Fire spokesman Joseph Pleasant confirming that three people were injured and transported to area hospitals. None of the injured suffered life-threatening injuries, Pleasant said.

At this time, the investigation is ongoing. According to Aaron, both local and federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF. Police and Tennessee Highway Patrol are conducting a shutdown of the area for the investigation.