Law enforcement agencies and emergency officials in Knoxville, Tennessee, established an evacuation zone due to a suspected explosive device.

“At this time Law enforcement and emergency officials in Knoxville, Tennessee, have declared a large evacuation zone and are urgently requesting that residents evacuate as they investigate a suspected explosive device,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Authorities have activated the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, sending safety messages to those within the impacted area. At this time, details about the nature of the explosive device or object are still unclear, and officials are treating the situation with the utmost caution. This is still developing,” the post added.

Knoxville News Sentinel reports:

The Knoxville Police Department is asking people in the area of Mynderse and Western avenues to evacuate after reports of a box “potentially filled with explosives,” Knoxville Police Department spokesman Scott Erland said the afternoon of Oct. 10.

“Around 2: 15 p.m. we got a call at a business on Mynderse Ave of a large box that was potentially filled with explosives,” Erland said. “We’re operating on the assumption that this is explosives.”

An email around 3 p.m. said that the Knoxville Fire and Police departments had been called to “a report of a box with possible explosives … which is possibly smoking.”

Emergency alerts were sent to the phones of people in the evacuation area around 4:45 p.m. Oct. 10.

“Due to the ongoing investigation into the suspected explosives on Mynderse Avenue, we are urging residents to evacuate from inside the pictured zone. A public safety message has been sent through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to people inside the impacted area,” the Knoxville Police Department said.

Per WATE:

Mayor Indya Kincannon shared that CMC Recycling reported that they found a box possibly containing explosives. She said the main goal is to evacuate the area.

“As the mayor indicated, the initial call was from CMC Recycling. The employees reported [that they] found a box that possibly contained explosives. When they went to open that box in their normal procedures, they discovered it potentially had explosives and then they notified us,” said KPD spokesperson Scott Erland.

“We have since verified that we also believe that this contains potential explosives. The problem that we have right now is the box is smoking. So, for the bomb squad, we’re kind of in a wait-and-see mode because anything the bomb squad does has the potential to upset that box. So, the main priority right now is the evacuations and those efforts are ongoing with KPD, KFD and THP.”

WATCH:

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.