PHOTO: Seven people and a dog escaped a large house fire in Knoxville Monday morning, according to Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks.
The fire happened around 2 a.m., Wilbanks said. Crews were prompted to respond to the home on Helmbolt Road after receiving a call from one of the owners, who told KFD the fire was “really big.”
Once crews arrived, Wilbanks said, they decided to attack the fire defensively, since it was so large firefighters could not get inside the building. Tackling the fire took over an hour, with the fire being deemed under control around 3:36 a.m., according to Wilbanks. The home, which had working smoke detectors, was declared a total loss, and Wilbanks said KFD’s Fire Investigations Unit is working to find out what caused the fire.
Wilbanks added that Helmbolt Road would likely be closed for hours.