KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two people are safe and a home suffered extensive damage after an attic fire in East Knoxville, according to the Knoxville Fire Department.
At around 1:50 p.m., the Knox County 911 Center received a call for a reported house fire in the 2600 block of Jefferson Avenue.
Just as officials were receiving a call for the house fire, an unknown passerby stopped at the residence at 2639 Jefferson Ave. and alerted two people that their home was on fire, KFD said.
That person made sure everyone was out of the house before leaving the scene.
"If not for this unknown person stopping and alerting the occupants to the fact that their home was on fire, they could’ve been significantly injured or killed," KFD said.
The occupants of the home were watching TV at the time and did not know their home was on fire. KFD said the bulk of the fire was in the attic and that there was no smoke or indication of any fire in the living areas of the home.
According to KFD, the house does have working smoke detectors however, they would not have alarmed the occupants, because there was no smoke in the lower portions of the building.
KFD was able to put out the fire quickly by 2:09 p.m., according to fire officials. The home suffered extensive damage to the attic space and front porch areas. A home next door to the fire suffered minor fire damage from the heat of the flames.
No injuries have been reported, KFD said.
Knoxville Fire Department investigators are on the scene to determine the cause of the fire.
