KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fort Loudon Waste and Recycling triggered years of frustration for neighbors and fire crews. A fire there in 2019 was so big Knoxville leaders said it forced people in about 100 homes to leave. After another fire was reported on the evening of Aug. 15, neighbors said they wanted change.
The Knoxville Fire Department said it was the fourth fire just this year. There was a tractor-trailer fire in February, a small building burned in May and a dumpster caught fire in July.
The owner of the site, Eddie Bales, said he wants to sell the North Knoxville property. He said since 2019, the facility has only been used for storage. He said after last week's fire, there is nowhere to store anything.
Eric Vreeland, Deputy Director of Knoxville, said Fort Loudon Waste and Recycling is in arrears on its real and personal property taxes. He said Eddie and his younger brother, Jason Bales, owe the city and Knox County a combined $257,414.
Eddie declined to comment on the taxes.
Vreeland also said the facility doesn't have a valid business license and is no longer an active corporation in the state. He said the city issued a demolition order for the building that burned last week. When the building is demolished, Vreeland said the city will invoice the owners for all the costs associated with cleanup and if it goes unpaid, the city will file a lien against the property.
He said these fires on the property have been arson and he's cleaning up the property on his own. Eddie said he's been 100% cooperative with the city during this process and he's met with them three times.
Vreeland said there are 17 total complaints alleging code violations that have been filed since the May 2019 fire. A notice of zoning code violations was issued in June 2023. In February 2024, which marked the fourth court date, the judge found Eddie and Jason in violation and fined them $12,578.
He said the owners did not appear in court and made no progress toward completing the permit process. Vreeland said an additional notice of violation was issued in March 2024 and is still pending.
James Robertson said he has lived in Lincoln Park since 1989. He said he remembers the 2019 fire at the Fort Loudon Recycling Center.
"The fire and the smoke that we had, I figure what to do with our families, what to do with our pets and all this stuff because two or three days they wouldn't even let us come out hardly, because the smoke was coming over the house. The smoke was coming over to my house really bad," said Robertson. "It needs to be torn completely down."
Roberston isn't the only neighbor who feels this way. In a neighborhood group on social media, several neighbors said they reached out to Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, but haven't been satisfied with her response.
In an emailed response to a neighbor, Kincannon said she shared the frustration and was concerned when she heard another fire started. Robertson said he hoped the land would be used for good.
"I wanted something for our neighborhood, Lincoln Park, like a park or housing. But like I said, I wanna make it good enough or safe enough for our families and all our children if they go to live in on that property," said Robertson.