Asst. Chief Mark Wilbanks reported 19 KFD firefighters worked a fire in an apartment building on Gratz Street near Haynes Place. At 5:27 a.m. Knox County Emergency Communications District received a call from a driver on Interstate 40 near downtown, reporting that they had seen a large fire in the area but were unsure of the actual address. At the same time, multiple reports began coming in to 911 that a large home on Gratz Street near Haynes Place was on fire.
Upon arrival of the initial KFD unit, a heavy fire was reported coming from the upper floors of the front of the building. KFD crews immediately went to work attempting to extinguish the fire. Due to the significant amount of fire and the advanced stage of the fire, the fire crews were not able to enter the building. KFD crews began setting up firefighting operations from the exterior of the building. Eventually, they had to set up a ladder truck to apply water from the top of the building. Around 6:27 a.m., the incident commander deemed the fire was out, and crews would be working on hot spots for a considerable amount of time. As of this writing, crews are still on the scene working on hot spots.
The building was occupied by one adult male who was away at work at the time of the fire. The man returned home just as crews arrived and confirmed that no one else was living in the building.
The building is an apartment building, and other units were in the process of renovation.
The building is a total loss.
No Injuries reported.
The Knoxville Fire Investigations Unit is on scene and is working to determine a cause.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupant.
Asst. Chief Mark Wilbanks B.S. CCEMTP I.C. is the Health, Safety, and Communications Officer for the Knoxville Fire Department.
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