Knoxville crews respond after fire breaks out at junkyard; building and at least a dozen cars catch fire

VIDEO: Crews responded Thursday to a large fire at Junk Car Mafia on Old Rutledge Pike that sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky, visible from across Knoxville. Jeff Devlin, the fire chief for Rural Metro, said at least 12 cars were engulfed in flames and the junkyard's building was also burned down. He said its roof collapsed, catching burning objects beneath it. He said as a result, it could take hours for crews to fully put out the fire. He said it likely started when crews at the junkyard were cutting up a car that was up on a lift. He said it caught fire and the crews delayed calling 911, instead trying to use a forklift to get the car out of the building. He said that attempt likely worsened the fire, and by delaying the call to 911 he said crews had a harder time fighting the fire. However, Devlin said no injuries were reported. He also said the junkyard's building was a total loss.
WBIR-TV NBC 10 Knoxville

Rural Metro Fire in Knox County announces new chief

VIDEO: Rural Metro Fire announced Wednesday that it has a new chief: Jeffrey Devlin. Devlin has been with Rural Metro since 1990, serving as a firefighter, paramedic and more. He’s also been the assistant chief of operations for the last five years. “Rural Metro Fire has an over 45-year history of excellence in serving Knox County. My intention is we will be Knox County’s Fire Department for 45 more,” Devlin said. “It is my honor to lead the men and women of our organization as we continue to serve the citizens of Knox County.” Rural Metro started in 1977 and has served Knox County and Farragut since then. The agency is expected to host a “meet and greet” with Devlin on July 29 at the Farragut Community Center (239 Jamestowne Blvd.) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
WVLT-TV CBS/MyNetworkTV 8 Knoxville

Franklin Fire Department’s new camp combats declining applicants

When Franklin’s Firefighter Explorer Program Coordinator David Konstant developed the idea of creating a summer camp in February, he wanted to use it as an opportunity to get high schoolers interested in a different career path. Across Williamson County, the number of firefighters and paramedics is dwindling as existing employees transition to other careers and few newcomers apply for the jobs. “The fire services in the past five years has had a hard time recruiting. We've seen a large decline in applicants,” Konstant said. The solution? A three-day summer camp geared toward 14-year-old to 18-year-old students in the Williamson County School District. Twenty-five students from rising freshmen to rising seniors applied for the camp, which took place from June 3-5.
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