A house fire near Fountain City left a North Knoxville home uninhabitable Wednesday morning, killing a cat that could not escape the smoke even as two dogs made it out safely. No one was inside the residence on Parkdale Road when crews arrived to find heavy fire and smoke pouring from the structure.
The Knox County Communications District received a report of a possible house fire at approximately 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, with crews responding to the home at 5405 Parkdale Road, according to WIVK, citing Rural Metro fire officials. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the residence and encountered heavy fire conditions once inside, the station reported. No one was hurt, and no one was home at the time of the fire, WVLT reported.
Pets Caught in the Blaze
Two dogs managed to escape the burning home and survived, but the family cat was overtaken by smoke and did not survive, according to WATE. The outlet reported that a cat died in the fire as well, consistent with the same account from the fire department.
Crews determined the fire had extended into numerous void spaces throughout the structure and could not be safely controlled from the inside, so firefighters shifted to a defensive attack, per the same account. That strategy, which involves battling flames from outside the structure rather than entering it, is typically used when conditions make an interior attack too dangerous or ineffective.
Extensive Damage, Road Closed for Hours
The blaze was declared under control and extinguished at approximately 1:45 p.m., according to the WIVK report. The residence sustained significant fire, smoke and water damage and has been deemed uninhabitable, the station noted.
A total of 22 firefighters responded to the scene, backed by four fire engines, one squad, one rescue vehicle and one ladder vehicle, per WATE's reporting. The fire also closed the road for several hours as crews worked the scene, the WVLT report stated. The cause of the fire has not yet been released.
Second Fatal Fire in the Area
The Parkdale Road fire comes amid a separate, unrelated house fire in Knoxville's Five Points neighborhood that left one person and a dog dead, according to WATE. In that case, the cause remains under investigation and no firefighters were injured, the outlet reported.
