KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rural Metro Fire said crews responded to a "large brush/wildland" fire Wednesday afternoon. By 3 p.m. a spokesperson said the fire was 100% contained.
Jeff Bagwell, the spokesperson, said it was located in the 8000 block of Ridgeview Drive in the Gibbs area. He said when crews arrived they found the fire was around two acres large and was spreading from a large field into some thick woods.
Crews were initially able to keep it from impacting nearby homes. Rural Metro said once it spread to the woods, it would have been hard to contain it without help from Tennessee Division of Forestry dozers. The Blaine Volunteer Fire Department and Luttrell Volunteer Fire Department also contributed resources, sending water haulers.
Although the fire was contained, Rural Metro said smoke could still be soon and some spot fires were still burning within the fire line. Crews were expected to stay near the fire for several hours to make sure it did not escape the fire line.
According to Rural Metro, it was caused by a person burning something in a barrel. Bagwell emphasized that no open burning is allowed in Knox County due to an elevated fire risk.