Knoxville neighborhood evacuated after dynamite suspected at recycling center

Authorities urged evacuations of an east Tennessee neighborhood on Thursday after employees at a recycling business discovered a container that apparently contained dynamite, though foul play was not suspected.

The Knoxville Police Department said that it urged residents within 3,000 feet of CMC Recycling to relocate after employees discovered a steel box with suspected dynamite.

Fire Department spokesperson Mark Wilbanks said that an evacuation was not ordered but recommended, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel. He said hundreds left their homes and businesses. A shelter was opened for people displaced.

The department said its bomb squad assessed the scene with a drone and couldn’t identify the contents of the box with certainty, but “based on that initial assessment and out of an abundance of caution, bomb squad technicians believe the box does contain explosives,” the release said.

Police said that there’s no evidence of foul play.

“There is no evidence to suggest foul play or that the box was left on site maliciously,” the police statement said. “It is believed that employees were sorting through material when they discovered the box and attempted to open it.”

Authorities said the situation would likely not be resolved until Friday.


(Photo: Knoxville Police Department)