Firefighters battle blaze at ‘huge’ structure in North Knox County

KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Firefighters with Rural Metro battled a blaze at a “huge” structure in North Knox County Saturday.

Crews responded to the scene of the fire in the 9300 block of Pedigo Road around 11 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived, Rural Metro said they found a “huge structure” fully engulfed in flames on one end. As crews worked to knock down the flames, Rural Metro shared that Pedigo Road was temporarily closed.

Crews worked to contain the flames while also battling intense heat and humidity. Spokesperson Jeff Bagwell said the heat led to a third team of firefighters needing to be called to the scene. The crews were also met with an additional challenge of securing water from a nearby fire hydrant as the structure is located 900 feet from the road, Rural Metro said.

The structure seemed to have been made up of multiple units, some of which were heavily damaged. Photos from the scene show some of the less damaged units resembling an an Old Western style town.

Bagwell shared that 10 family members live at the location, and all were able to make it outside before firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported. The family is being assisted by the American Red Cross.

“We are extremely thankful to our fire service friends from Anderson County and Knoxville who provided critical assistance to our firefighters in this extreme heat.  We are also extremely thankful to the neighbors that provided water and other assistance to our crews,” Rural Metro said.

It is not yet known what caused the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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