This is a developing story and will be updated.
A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway was temporarily closed on Sunday after the discovery of an “improvised incendiary device,” according to a news release issued Monday from the National Park Service.
The device, officials said, was found near the Folk Art Center in East Asheville. The center was evacuated and the device was safely removed, the Park Service said, adding that the NPS Investigative Services Branch is leading an investigation into the incident.
No injuries were reported.
“On June 1, 2025, at approximately 11:45 a.m., officers and agents from the National Park Service, Asheville Police Department’s Bomb Squad, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation along with Asheville and Riceville fire and emergency medical personnel responded to a report of a suspicious item found in a dirt pull-off on the Blue Ridge Parkway near the intersection to the Folk Art Center,” the National Park Service said in Monday’s release.
“There are currently no known threats to the public,” the Park Service said.
The Folk Art Center is run through a partnership among the National Park Service, the Southern Highland Craft Guild and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The National Park Service is encouraging individuals with information about the incident to contact its Investigative Services Branch. The branch can be reached by phone at (888) 653-0009, online at go.nps.gov/SubmitATip, or by email through the link on this webpage.
