SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — No one was hurt in a Sevier County fire that occurred Thursday afternoon, according to the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department.
John Lisenbigler, the SVDF Chief, said his crew was called to the area of Rays Gap Road at East Union Valley Road at 12:26 p.m. Firefighters got to the scene in fewer than ten minutes and were there for hours Thursday afternoon, he said.
A house was on fire at the address and it's still standing. However, he said the interior of the home was destroyed. Lisenbigler said no one was injured in the fire and no pets were lost. A man who was inside when the fire started was able to exit safely.
The chief said people need to have working smoke alarms inside their residences and should exercise caution if they're using an alternative heat source to unthaw pipes.
"We think the cause was, he was trying to unthaw his pipes," Lisenbigler said. "... and he didn't realize something got too hot."
Lisenbigler said his department is run by volunteers. They used two engines and a tanker as part of the unit that responded.