An incendiary device—designed to start fires—was reported to emergency personnel on Sunday near the Folk Art Center along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
According to a news release issued yesterday, law enforcement ordered the evacuation of the Folk Art Center following the report.
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, officers and agents from the National Park Service, Asheville Police Department Bomb Squad, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, along with fire and emergency medical teams from Asheville and Riceville, responded to a report of a suspicious item discovered in a dirt pull-off near the intersection leading to the Folk Art Center.
As a precaution, the Folk Art Center was immediately evacuated, and a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway was temporarily closed.
The National Park Service confirmed that the item was safely removed and stated that there are currently no known threats to public safety. The Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch is leading the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch at 888-653-0009.
