Mistaken delivery causes ‘explosion’ scare at building in South Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - On Friday afternoon, crews with the Nashville Fire Department were called to 20 Culvert Street after there were reports of an explosion.

When crews arrived they found a building and a warehouse where a box of chemicals, believed to have organic peroxide, combusted.

All of the people in the building were evacuated.

NFD HAZMAT crews responded as other chemicals remained in the building.

Officials said there are no injuries reported at this time.

Officials later confirmed a delivery of organic peroxide was made to the warehouse mistakenly.

The chemicals were shipped inside a cardboard box that was shrink-wrapped and on a pallet left on a bay dock.

According to Kendra Loney, a spokesperson for the Nashville Fire Department, the chemical inside boxes must be stored at a critical temperature of -4 degrees, otherwise, the threat of combustion arises.

After being left unattended and with temperatures rising, the chemicals began to combust.

Officials said the threat was minimal because it was contained to the items within the shrink wrap. The Employees at the warehouse were not aware of what was happening because they were unaware of the mistaken delivery.

Everyone was able to evacuate the building without injury.

NFD crews will remain on the scene to monitor the product as it off-gases. Other companies will arrive to help clean it up and make sure there is no residue or will cause any runoff.

AkzoNobel, the company where the explosion happened released a statement and it reads as follows:

Earlier this afternoon at the AkzoNobel Nashville manufacturing site a foul odor was detected and emergency responders were immediately contacted to investigate. As a precaution, employees at the plant were evacuated and no injuries were reported.

A preliminary investigation determined that material not used in the manufacturing process was releasing the vapor. The manufacturing site, which makes powder coatings does not use any hazardous materials in the process. The company is investigating the origins of the material to determine how it ended up onsite to avoid any future incidents.

AkzoNobel, which also has its North American Headquarters in Nashville applauded the quick and thorough response of the Nashville fire department and other emergency responders in its effort to contain and safely dispose of the material in a safe and environmentally manner.

The site does not anticipate any operational disruptions and will resume its regular schedule on Monday.