KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Fire Department said a 37-year-old woman was arrested after a large fire broke out in an empty South Knoxville building on Friday morning.
Rachel Carolyn Hall was staying in a building, a two-story garage recently vacated by a roofing company near Phillips Avenue and McCormick Street, when she lit a candle that set the floor on fire, according to KFD. Hall told investigators that she is homeless.
Crews first learned of the fire around 3:55 a.m. Several small items, including multiple propane gas tasks and oxygen tanks, caused firefighters a significant hazard as they began fighting the fire, according to KFD.
Hall fled the scene when the fire started and hid nearby until investigators located her. She was charged with one count of reckless burning, KFD said.
No one was hurt in the fire and the building is a total loss, according to KFD.