KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Fire Department announced Tuesday it has been unable to find a conclusive cause of a South Knoxville house fire that has now claimed the lives of two children and injured two other children in early June.
KFD's investigation unit said the fire started in a void between the basement ceiling and the home's upper floor, saying the fire patterns made it clear it began in that area just above a rear storage room.
After examining the space, investigators found several potential ignition sources that could have started the fire, saying all of them were electrical components. However, KFD said the components were too severely damaged to determine a conclusive cause.
Investigators said they did not find any suspicious evidence, saying they do not believe foul play was involved.
On June 6 around 2 p.m., crews responded to a fire on the 1600 block of Lendland Avenue with two children still in the basement.
Firefighters tried to rescue them as soon as they arrived but said the flames were too strong and the crew was pushed back. Another crew of firefighters arrived, and with their help, they were able to pull the children out of the burning home.
Four children in total were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition:13-year-old Arayah Cole, 2-year-old Allison, 10-month-old Grayson Stull and 3-year-old Delilah Stull.
Delilah died later that night, and the family announced on June 12 that Grayson would be taken off life support after being pronounced brain dead -- saying he died Monday and donated his organs to save the lives of other babies.
"Grayson was the happiest little boy you would have ever met. He never was sad. He smiled his big smile everywhere all day every day. Prayers of comfort to his mom, dad, and big sister," Amber Wright said in a GoFundMe post.