‘We may have some dynamite:’ 911 call reporting explosives near Western Ave. released

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Officials have released the initial call reporting explosives at a recycling plant just off Western Avenue.

6 News obtained a recording of the call, which took place around 2:15 p.m. on Thursday. In the recording, the caller calmly tells the 911 operator he is at “Commercial Metals Recycling” on Myderse Avenue.

“We have a torch operation going on and 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,” the caller said.

The operator asked what they found the explosives inside, and the caller explained it was inside a “steel tote” that had no signs or identification.

Knoxville Police Department Spokesperson Scott Erland shared on Thursday that the box measures approximately five feet by five feet. The caller continued to say when they cut into the box with a torch, that is when they noticed something wasn’t right.

“They cut the hinges off the door and we see 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,” The caller said.

The operator then asked if the box was still smoking, and the caller said it was and they “took off” because there were oxygen tanks in the area. The caller confirmed to the operator that everyone was out of the area and had gathered in the corner of the lot on the opposite side of where the box was.

Initially, Knoxville Fire Department told the media that part of Western Avenue was closed to a “possible hazmat situation” around 2:50 p.m. Thursday.

About 15 minutes later, KFD reported that it and Knoxville police responded to the scene because a smoking box with “possible explosives” had been reported and the area had been evacuated. Around 4 p.m., KFD and KPD strongly urged residents within a 3,000-foot radius of the explosives to evacuate.

Friday afternoon, Knoxville Police reported that samples of the materials inside the box had tested positive for ammonia nitrate, which is consistent with dynamite. Officials were still urging people to stay away from the area Friday and noted that the process to neutralize the explosives might continue into Saturday.

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