KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A woman is dead after a house fire and explosion early Wednesday morning, according to Rural Metro Fire and the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
KCSO identified the woman as 66-year-old Karen Sue Rutledge.
Rural Metro said when crews responded to the 5500 block of Fort Sumter Road around 3 a.m., they found a single-wide trailer engulfed in flames.
The woman became trapped inside the house and was unable to escape, according to KCSO.
KCSO's fire investigators have ruled the fire as "undetermined" due to extensive damage and lack of physical evidence in the trailer.
However, based on witness and family statements, KCSO believes that cigarette smoking in the presence of oxygen was a contributing factor.
