Updated 5:30 p.m. CST
A recreational vehicle parked on Nashville’s historic Second Avenue this morning gave an audio warning for people to evacuate before it exploded, injuring three, destroying the facades and streetscape of the tourist area and damaging a phone service transmission facility.
Security camera footage posted to YouTube of the moments leading up to the blast also include audio. “If you can hear this message, evacuate now,” a recorded voice says over and over.
Police say they heard the message, giving them roughly 15 minutes to clear nearby buildings.
“They heard the announcements coming from this vehicle. They took them seriously and were working to seal the streets to protect folks, and we think it worked. We think lives were saved,” says Don Aaron, spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Tucked away on East 11th Street between First and Second Avenues is a small rubber stamp shop, which, according to the small sign in its window, is “closed when not open” and “open when not closed.” Casey Rubber Stamps is filled from floor to ceiling with rubber stamps that have all been handmade by John Casey and his two team members. John Casey is originally from Cork, Ireland and first founded his shop in 1979 on Seventh Avenue South in the West Village. He moved the shop to the East Village 19 years ago but still makes his stamps the old-school way with a negative, a plate, and a mold process that is both more time consuming and expensive than newer methods involving liquid polymer materials or laser cutting. Ahead, go behind the scenes to see how all the amazing rubber stamps are made, tour the interior and workspace, and learn about the shop’s history from John Casey.