Detached garage fire shuts down part of Tazewell Pike

(Photo: Knoxville Fire Department)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville Fire Department started a structure fire early Tuesday morning that caused a portion of Tazewell Pike to be closed. Two people were able to escape the fire without being injured.

KFD spokesman Mark Wilbanks said crews were dispatched to a reported unrelated garage fire just before 5 a.m. in the 4300 block of Tazewell Pike in Fountain City. When crews arrived on scene, they discovered a fire in a fully detached garage, with a house in the immediate vicinity.

“KFD crews were unable to enter the structure due to the magnitude of the fires and initiated an exterior attack on the fire,” Wilbanks said in the news release. “KFD crews were informed that the garage contained several cars and an apartment where two people lived. Both occupants escaped the fire unharmed.

As early as 7 a.m., crews were conducting overhaul operations, which is why Tazewell Pike remained closed. The garage/apartment is a total loss.

KFD investigators were also on scene to determine the cause.