NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A fire broke out in a parking garage of Nashville's main public library early Tuesday, sending a large plume of smoke into the air downtown and forcing evacuations from a nearby hotel. A witness heard explosions from the structure, but fire officials said no injuries were reported.
“The fire went all the way across the fourth floor” of the garage, Nashville District Fire Chief Martin Hampton told WKRN-TV. He said vehicles inside were on fire, including ones used by the city for cleaning and maintenance. Guests were evacuated from the nearby Renaissance Hotel, which is connected to the garage by a skybridge.
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A burned vehicle is seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A burned vehicle is seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A garage where vehicles caught and a floor of the structure collapsed is seen Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Burned vehicles are seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A fire truck is seen outside a parking garage where vehicles caught fire and part of a floor in the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Responding firefighters saw that a ramp between the fourth and fifth floors collapsed and several beams and columns had “significant structural compromise” from spalling damage, which generally includes pieces of concrete breaking off, Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said.
Fire department investigators, who are working to determine the cause of the fire, and the city's Department of Transportation structural engineering team are now handling the scene. A preliminary review of the scene doesn't show any signs of foul play, Nashville officials said in a press release.
The library will remain closed through Sunday, as officials assess the fire's potential impacts on the interior, said Nashville Public Library spokesperson Joan Brasher.
Eli Gilmore, a Nashville musician who lives in the apartment building next door, said he heard loud explosions begin around 1:15 a.m. Nashville fire officials said they were dispatched at about 1:22 a.m.
“We were sitting around and I just looked over and saw the black smoke coming out of the garage, and then we just started hearing cars exploding, one after another," Gilmore said. "We saw a floor crack and fall in. It’s been shooting sparks across the street.”
The library and parking structure are just blocks from Broadway and its bustling bar and music scene. The public library’s garage is frequently used late at night by people heading to downtown bars. It is used during the day by commuting workers as well, and it offers easy access to the federal courthouse across the street. It is owned by the metro Nashville government and operated by the Nashville Downtown Partnership.
On a FaceTime call with The Associated Press, Gilmore showed video of the building with smoke pouring out of it and emergency vehicles surrounding it. He said at least 50 firefighters were visible on the scene.
Anthony reported from Pittsburgh.
A burned vehicle is seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A burned vehicle is seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A garage where vehicles caught and a floor of the structure collapsed is seen Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Burned vehicles are seen inside a garage that caught fire and a floor of the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A fire truck is seen outside a parking garage where vehicles caught fire and part of a floor in the structure collapsed Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.
Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.
U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.
"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”
Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.
“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”
Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.
U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.
Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.
Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.
Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.
"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.
The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.
The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.
“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.
“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”
The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
