A fast-moving fire tore through a West Knoxville apartment building late Thursday night, leaving all 17 residents of the 14-unit complex displaced and killing a family cat. Knoxville firefighters found heavy flames pouring from a first-floor unit at The Elements at Cedar Bluff on Ten Mile Road, and within minutes the blaze had climbed into the apartment above and burned through the roof.
Someone called 911 after spotting the fire, and crews responded to the scene around 10:08 p.m. Thursday, according to WATE. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 10:45 p.m., but not before it tore through the roof and left a trail of damage across multiple units.
No one was home in the apartment where the fire started, and everyone else who was inside the building at the time got out safely, WBIR reports. No injuries were reported among residents or firefighters. One cat died from smoke inhalation, though every other pet in the building was accounted for.
Damage Spread Across Nearly the Entire Building
Of the building's 14 units, three sustained heavy fire damage, two more suffered heavy smoke and water damage, and the rest were left with minor smoke and water damage, per the same report. That means nearly every household in the complex was affected in some way, even those far from where the flames first broke out. All 17 displaced residents are now being assisted by the Red Cross as they figure out next steps.
Around 12:30 a.m. Friday, fire investigators remained on scene working to determine what sparked the blaze. A cause had not been released as of the latest update, and the exact origin of the fire has not been confirmed.
Not the First Time West Knoxville Apartments Have Burned
Thursday night's fire echoes past incidents in the area. A blaze at Sunchase Apartments once destroyed eight units outright and left 11 more with varying degrees of smoke and other damage, according to archived Knoxville News Sentinel reporting. No one was hurt in that fire either, and the Red Cross stepped in to provide temporary hotel housing, food and clothing to at least 16 displaced residents.
A separate fire at Westwood Apartments similarly displaced residents without causing any reported injuries, with damage contained mostly to a third-floor unit and some water damage to the two apartments below, the outlet's archives show. In that case, apartment management housed some residents in vacant units elsewhere in the complex while the Red Cross arranged temporary placement for the rest. It is not yet known whether a similar housing arrangement will be offered to residents displaced from The Elements at Cedar Bluff.
For now, the focus in Cedar Bluff remains on the immediate aftermath: 17 neighbors without a place to sleep, a beloved pet lost, and fire investigators still piecing together how a quiet Thursday night turned into a scramble to escape the flames.
