Nashville's shocked mayor says he believes bomb is a 'one-off event' and causalities were minimized because it happened on Christmas Day

Nashville's mayor has described the aftermath of a 'deliberate' explosion that rocked the city's Downtown on Christmas morning, sending three people to hospital. 

The shocking incident occurred at 6.40am local time, after a vehicle parked on Second Avenue detonated, shattering windows and shaking the ground. 

Speaking with assembled media later in the morning, Mayor John Cooper said the area was filled with 'a lot of broken glass and insulation that has been blown up into trees'. 

He added that broken mains were sending water flooding out into the street.

'It looks like a bomb went off,' he stated.  

Speaking with assembled media later in the morning, Mayor John Cooper said the area was filled with 'a lot of broken glass and insulation that has been blown up into trees' 

Nashville's mayor has described the aftermath of a 'deliberate' explosion that rocked the city's Downtown on Christmas morning, sending three people to hospital 

Nashville police are now using sniffer dogs to comb the area to look for any more explosive devices, but Cooper has called for calm.   

'It seems intentional, but I think it's just a one-off event. I don't think people should be concerned about it,' he said. 

Cooper claimed the city's Downtown area was quieter on Christmas morning than on other days as most residents were still asleep and were not headed out to work. 

He believed that helped minimize the number of people left injured in the blast.  

This is what is left of Second Avenue in downtown Nashville after the explosion on Friday morning. Police have not yet identified a suspect 

The scale of the debris was enormous. All of 2nd Avenue was covered with it

Emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 25, 2020

The saga began at 6 am when police received a call saying that shots had been fired in the Downtown area. 

They got to the scene but saw no evidence of a shooting. 

Instead, they 'encountered' what police are calling a suspicious vehicle, and called the bomb squad.  

They were on their way when the blast happened. 

Three people have been taken to the hospital for non-serious injuries but miraculously, no one was seriously hurt. 

A police officer who was nearby at the time was knocked over by the blast and has lost his hearing.  

Emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard early Christmas morning

Debris scattered near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard early Christmas morning

A building is damaged near the area where an explosion was reported on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard early Christmas morning

At a press conference shortly before 10am, police spokesman Don Aaron said it was an 'intentional act' but he did not give any information about potential suspects or motives. 

'The explosion was significant as you can see from the street. The police department, it's partners, the FBI and ATF are conducting a large scale investigation. We do believe the explosion was an intentional act,' Aaron said.

In a later update, he said: 'A number of our police dogs have been called and are searching the area. These  are explosive detection dogs to make sure there are no secondary devices, out of an abundance of caution. 

'We're also going to be conducting searches of downtown buildings to make sure there's no one in need of help.'  

Sniffer dogs are now combing the area to look for any additional explosives 

Cops with sniffer dogs in downtown Nashville on Friday morning after the explosion. They have not yet narrowed down what kind of device it was