McEWEN, Tenn. (AP) — A powerful blast ripped through a military explosives manufacturing plant in rural Tennessee on Friday morning, rattling homes miles away and bringing emergency responders to the scene, authorities and residents said.
The explosion happened at Accurate Energetic Systems near the town of Bucksnort, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Nashville, the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office reported. The agency urged residents on social media to avoid the area as emergency teams mobilized to respond.
"Emergency responders were not yet able to go in because there continue to be explosions," said David Stewart, an Advanced EMT with Hickman County, expressing concern over ongoing risks. At this point, no confirmed injuries have been reported from the incident.
The company, Accurate Energetic Systems, did not reply to requests for comment following the explosion.
Video footage from the scene revealed a burning field of debris, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Local news station WTVF-TV in Nashville shared images of scattered debris and damaged vehicles, with numerous calls flooding in from locals who felt the shock of the explosion.
Residents in Lobelville, more than a 20-minute drive from the site, reported shaking homes and captured the deafening sound on their home security cameras.
“I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it,” recounted Gentry Stover, a local resident. “I live very close to Accurate, and I realized about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”
