Two people died after an early-morning house fire tore through a home in the 3300 block of Willow Tree Road in Sevier County, Tennessee, on Sunday. Firefighters arrived to find the structure heavily involved, with two occupants initially unaccounted for, before crews pushed inside and found them.
Dispatchers received the call around 6:01 a.m. Sunday, according to WVLT. Responding crews found a heavily involved structure fire with two occupants reported unaccounted for, the station reported, prompting firefighters to launch a transitional fire attack before searching the home and locating two victims inside.
Both victims received emergency medical care at the scene and were transported by Sevier County Ambulance Service to LeConte Medical Center, per the same account. They were later pronounced deceased at the hospital. The victims were then taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for identification, a step that has not yet resulted in publicly released names or ages.
Multiple Agencies Responded to the Scene
Sevier County Fire-Rescue was assisted by fire departments from Waldens Creek, Pigeon Forge, Seymour and Townsend, the station's report notes. Responders also received help from the Sevier County Ambulance Service, the Sheriff's Office, E911 dispatch and the medical examiner's office. Sevier County Electric System disconnected power to the home for responder safety, the article states.
Cause Remains Unknown
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Sevier County Sheriff's Office and the Sevier County Fire Marshal's Office, according to the station's report. No further details on how the fire started have been released.
Sunday's fire was not the only fatal house fire reported in Sevier County in recent months. In July, crews responded to a house fire in the 2400 block of Pittman Center Road at around 3 a.m. and found the home fully involved, with one person reported unaccounted for, according to a separate WVLT report; that person was later found and confirmed dead.
A separate fire in Sevierville also proved fatal, with a city spokesperson confirming one death after firefighters went to the 1000 block of Mark Ann Lane around 2:30 a.m., as reported by WATE. That victim was identified as 83-year-old Phyllis Girouard. Another fatal fire in nearby Seymour also left one person dead after firefighters extinguished the blaze and found the victim inside the home, according to a separate WATE account.
Investigators have not released any information connecting Sunday's fire to the earlier incidents, and the cause of each remains separately under review by local authorities.
