Investigators: 2 dead after domestic situation, condo fire in West Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Two people were found dead at a West Knoxville residence Monday night after what investigators believe was a domestic murder-suicide situation. The Knoxville Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene.

According to Tim Woods of the Knoxville Fire Department, the call for emergency services came in around 1:10 a.m. at Meadow Condominiums in the 7900 block of Gleason Drive. When firefighters arrived, they quickly put out the fire; Then, KPD officers entered the residence and found a man and woman deceased. Woods said the initial call was about a domestic situation, with someone threatening to set the house on fire.

KPD spokesman Scott Erland said in a news release Monday that officers responded to a domestic dispute at the apartment and smoke was coming from the upper floor of the apartment. KFD firefighters were eventually able to gain access to the residence through a second story window with the assistance of KPD officers, according to Erland, and once the fire was extinguished, an adult man and woman were found dead in a upstairs bedroom.

“Based on the preliminary findings of the still ongoing investigation, it appears that the fire was intentionally set by the deceased man,” Erland said in the KPD statement. “No official determination has been made regarding the cause of death for either the man or the woman.”

The deaths and fire remain under investigation.