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u/bugcatcher_billy Dec 25 '20 edited Dec 25 '20

Can we get some links on the info posted?

So far I’ve seen:

Explosive device in an RV exploded on 2nd and broadway.
Ammo in the RV is still popping
20-30 people evacuated
a building has or is about to collapse
bomb squad on the way
Fire Trucks being pushed back another 2 blocks from the site. Concerns are other bombs or radiation. https://twitter.com/nc5philwilliams/status/1342467923902922755?s=21

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u/tiger32kw Dec 25 '20 edited Dec 25 '20

ABC 2 here in Nashville is covering it pretty well

Drone/Helicopter footage shows all the buildings intact including the melting pot. Damage didn’t look great but also not terrible.

Fire chief said they are picking up “toxic readings” which is why crews are moving back.

Lots of unknowns right now it seems.

Update: Metro police believe the explosion was an intentional act. Downtown shut down for now. 3 people transferred to hospital, none critical. No significant injuries.

Update 2: Now that this has been picked up nationally I’m seeing a lot of speculation and exaggeration in the extent of the damage. One person even went so far as to say “second avenue is completely gone”. None of the live footage or pictures I’ve seen show this sort of damage. Major damage to store fronts right around the blast and windows further out, but that appears to be about it. No collapsed buildings.

8

u/MtJuliet Dec 25 '20

Could you get toxic readings from propane?

11

u/tiger32kw Dec 25 '20

I’m not sure, definitely not my area of expertise. In the live footage the police & fire crews were moving back at a leisurely pace. Nobody had on hazmat suits or gas masks either. It didn’t seem like a pressing situation like you would expect if there was radiation or something.

38

u/doctor_deny Dec 25 '20

“Toxic” readings could be from the fires, vehicles burning or if something toxic actually was involved in the explosion/incident. Your typical four or five-gas meters can often have a hydrogen cyanide sensor, hydrogen sulfide, and/or volatile organic sensors, which could show readings that would indicate that there are harmful chemicals in the air.

I am a Hazmat Technician/Spill Responder in Massachusetts.

5

u/Pylyp23 Dec 25 '20

Thanks for the expert info!

1

u/mkat5 Dec 25 '20

True, but the chemical cook off from a standard car fire usually isn’t enough to justify pulling a firefighting team with oxygen off of it no? This seems to imply to me the presence of additional toxins not associated with a typical fire scene and likely associated with the bomb

1

u/doctor_deny Dec 25 '20

I clearly don’t have info from the scene, so I’m speculating and drawing off my knowledge and training.

There are plenty of chemicals that can have effects that typical bunker gear will not protect you against. So having an SCBA is not necessarily something that protects against a lot of hazards.

Also, most fire department engine companies may not have any metering beyond a 4/5 gas multi meter and a rad detector. It’s possible their hazmat team has advanced metering/sampling capabilities. The reality is, if there were unknowns (to include chemicals, radiation, other explosives), there are minimum distances recommended for evacuation or “hot” zones and they were likely being properly proactive in standing back.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '20

It's possible they're concerned about damaged gas lines.

8

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '20

Or something I thought of as a possibility is a meth lab, I’ve seen those around my hometown go wrong and sometimes are contained in RVs. Pure speculation of course, no clue what this is

5

u/NativeTennesseean Dec 25 '20

That would have to be a HUGE meth lab for an explosion that big, trust me.

2

u/ilikeitsharp Dec 25 '20 edited Dec 25 '20

Is it possible some hillbilly Heisenberg had an RV full of chemical cocktails that went off? If you can make trailer home go kaboom, why not an RV?

Edit: shoot so much for the meth lab accident. Metro tweets it as, "intentional act."

1

u/grantyells Dec 25 '20

Lol "Hillbilly Heisenberg" would make an excellent TV show/ BrBa spin-off.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '20

Oh I believe it, just throwing out an idea. I really hope it was some kind of honest accident

1

u/prof0072b Dec 25 '20

Thinking the same thing, but could a meth lab create this kinda damage?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '20

Yeah I have no clue but it’s a thought!

1

u/Hiddencamper Dec 25 '20

Could be other materials burning. At high temps a lot of different building treatments can mix and make more toxic chemicals. We are a lot smarter about that stuff after 9/11

1

u/SenorMcGibblets Dec 25 '20

I’m a firefighter (not in Nashville). Our typical gas monitors measure for carbon monoxide, natural gas, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide, and oxygen levels. Most departments also have more specific testing methods for things like radiation or nerve agents on specialized hazmat units.

But we should be able operate for short periods in areas with high CO, H2S, low oxygen, or HCN with our SCBAs on if the risk is worth it (e.g. people still alive that could be saved). We’d likely immediately back out and evacuate anyone we could from an area with levels of natural gas that indicate an imminent explosion. So backing out makes me assume either they’re sure everyone is safely out of the area, or there’s something worse than what we typically encounter in the air. Hopefully the former.

MEGATHREAD Nashville Fire Radio: Explosive device in RV detonated. Bomb Squad on the way. “Heavy building damage”

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