Around 2:15 p.m. Oct. 10, Knox 911 received a phone call alerting the Knoxville Police Department to a smoking metal box of potentially explosive materials.
Since then, the Knoxville Police and Fire departments have shut down around a mile of Western Avenue, recommended an evacuation of the immediate and have confirmed that the unmarked steel box contains traces of ammonium nitrate, “which is common in dynamite,” KPD public information officer Scott Erland said during a midday briefing Oct. 11.
Employees of CMC Recycling used a torch to open the box, and it began smoking. Employees got a glimpse of the contents, got out of the building and called 911.
Here’s the full minute-and-a-half-long 911 call (withholding the employee’s name and number):
Knoxville evacuation: Why is a 5×5 box dangerous? Where’s the evacuation zone?
Transcript of 911 call to CMC Recycling
911: “Knox County 911, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “Hello, this is (employee) with Commercial Metals Recycling at 2706 Mynderse Avenue, and we have a torch operation going on where we cut the hinges off of a box, and from what we’ve gathered, we may have some dynamite over here and we’ll probably need a fire truck and someone to dispose of it.”
911: “All right. You’re calling from (phone number)?”
Caller: “Yes, sir.”
911: “OK, and it was in what exactly? Just a box or?”
Caller: “It was a, it was a steel tote that had no signs, no identification on it or anything. And they cut the hinges off the door and we seen some odd smoke, so we walked over there to look at it and on the inside of the box, from what we think we saw, was 200, about 200 sticks of dynamite.”
911: “OK. Is anything on fire or is the box smoking?”
Caller: “It’s still smoking, yes. We couldn’t get it out. We all took off because it’s, the oxygen tank is over there, so we’re, we’re gone.”
911: “OK. All right, and you’re calling from (repeats phone number)?”
Caller: “Yes, sir.”
911: “Is anyone near it or that area?”
Caller: “No, we’re, we’re all in the same area. We’re all over here at the very corner of the lot.”
911: “OK.”
Caller: “Opposite side.”
911: “All right, I got that over to them. If anything changes before they get there, just gives us a call back, OK?”
Caller: “Absolutely, thank you, sir.”
911: “Thank you, buh-bye.”
What’s happening now with CMC Recycling and the evacuation
Police and fire vehicles have blocked Western Avenue between between Texas and Massachusetts avenues as the bomb squad assesses the situation and gets ready to start the disposal process.
With assistance from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Nashville Police Department, the Knoxville Police Department confirmed to Knox News that samples of the box’s contents obtained by an explosives robot tested positive for ammonium nitrate, which was confirmed by Quantico lab scientists.
Now, the agencies need to test to make sure the disposal method will work, and confirm how much is in the approximately 5-foot-by-5-foot steel box. The robot will take out each piece one by one.
Erland said once the disposal process is confirmed, they will soak each stick of dynamite in diesel fuel, which removes the explosive properties, before burning the dynamite. However, the whole process of assessing, confirming and disposing will take time. Erland said the evacuation might continue into Oct. 12.
Officials established an evacuation zone of a 3,000 foot radius from the box’s site, and recommended more than 1,000 residents of surrounding Knoxville neighborhoods evacuate. Agencies drove an armored vehicle through the neighborhoods with a speaker announcing the evacuation in both English and Spanish.
The American Red Cross has established a shelter at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park offering food, water and cots. Mayor Indya Kincannon said around 35 people stayed in the building last night, and the shelter will continue to operate until the situation is resolved.
Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: The 911 call that alerted Knoxville police to ‘200 sticks of dynamite’
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