Black smoke from a nearby fire left a haze over the CMA Fest in downtown Nashville and Nissan stadium. It’s the kind of sight you don’t want to experience first-hand, especially when a massive crowd has descended upon your city. Thankfully, emergency services were on the scene and the festival-goers were not in any danger.
According to WKRN, the fire ripped through a rundown structure on the 100 block of N. 1st Street, about a three-minute drive from Nissan Stadium. The warehouse was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, leading to them closing streets to control the blaze. After the initial blaze, firefighters focused their efforts on the remaining hot spots.
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Many in attendance at CMA Fest were worried and fearful when they saw the large black plume overtake the sky. The Nashville Fire Department and other officials were quick to calm fears and control the fire. Authorities had the blaze under control by 5:15 pm local time.
NFD spokesperson Kendra Loney noted the area will remain smoky and the smell will still be present in the area, so people traveling to and from CMA fest were warned to prepare for a detour and prepare to experience smoke. By publication time, the fire was completely out and K9 units were on the scene to search the rubble of the former building. Nobody was reported injured or present inside the building during the blaze.
The CMA Fest’s scheduled events for the day were not affected by the blaze and would go forward without much delay. Saturday was a major night for the festival, with Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and others taking the stage in Nissan Stadium. It’s easy to note that the crowd on Saturday night will be the largest.
The gates for tonight’s performances at Nissan stadium opened shortly before firefighters gave the all-clear on the fire. Hopefully, the smoke doesn’t bother any of the performers or attendees of the event.
