KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Update June 2: The Knox County Sheriff's Office said it is investigating the May 11 fire that burned an abandoned former school building to the ground in the Rocky Hill area as an arson case.
Jeff Bagwell with Rural Metro Fire said one thing that makes it likely that arson was the cause is the fact that there was no electrical connection live at the site and it had been shut off for years.
Original story:
Knox County Rural Metro Fire and the Knoxville Fire Department responded after an abandoned structure caught fire in the Northshore area Monday evening.
According to Rural Metro, the fire happened at 1408 Currier Lane near the Rocky Hill area, across from the Rocky Hill Center around 6 p.m. Monday.
According to KFD Captain DJ Corcoran, no one was hurt or inside the structure at the time, however, a firefighter suffered minor injuries that did not require medical transport.
Corcoran said he believes the structure was an old school converted into a home -- which would be the old Currier Elementary School.
Flames and a large tower of smoke could be seen for miles all the way from downtown Knoxville. Corcoran said both KFD and Rural Metro worked together to battle the fire after the four or five story building became engulfed in flames.
Crews said the top floors collapsed moments after they arrived. From that moment, they began a defensive approach to keep the flames from spreading to the wooded area behind the structure.
A second alarm was called for additional support and equipment.
As of 8:30 p.m., much of the fire had been extinguished, but only the building's brick chimneys remained standing. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The Knox County Sheriff's Department said its fire investigation unit is conducting an investigation, asking people east and west of the area to be vigilant for any remaining hot spots that might appear and to call 911 if they see one smoldering.
KUB said it has cut power to roughly 1,200 customers to de-energize electric lines near the fire to help crews contain it. It said power will be restored once the scene is secured.
