Knoxville Cedar Bluff Apartment Fire Displaces 17 Residents

Seventeen people were forced out of their homes late Thursday, Nov. 5, after fire tore through an apartment building at The Elements at Cedar Bluff in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nobody was hurt, but the blaze damaged the building badly enough that every resident had to leave.

What happened

Knoxville Fire Department crews were called to the complex at about 10 p.m. The first crew to arrive reported heavy fire pushing out of a ground-floor apartment, according to local station WVLT. The flames started in that unit, climbed into the apartment directly above it and burned through the roof. Firefighters had the blaze under control by about 10:45 p.m.

Fire officials said no one was home in the apartment where the fire began. That detail likely helped keep the incident from becoming a casualty event: residents of the upper unit and the rest of the building got out safely, and neither residents nor firefighters were injured. Pets were brought out as well, though one cat died from smoke inhalation.

Who was affected

The building has 14 apartments and housed 17 people, and all 17 are now displaced, according to reports from WVLT and the Knoxville News Sentinel. The American Red Cross is helping them with immediate needs such as a place to stay.

The two outlets describe the damage slightly differently. WVLT reported that three of the 14 units sustained heavy damage, with the remaining units suffering minor smoke and water damage. The News Sentinel reported five damaged apartments: three with heavy fire damage and two with heavy smoke and water damage, with the rest having minor smoke and water damage. Neither report gave a street address or a dollar estimate for the loss.

Cause

The cause has not been determined and is under investigation. Officials have not said what started the fire, so nothing should be assumed about it.

What this means for renters

Even a fire that starts in one unit can make an entire building unlivable, because of smoke, water from hoses and sprinklers, and roof damage. Tenants in the same position as these 17 residents can take several steps in the first days:

• Call the Red Cross. The agency can help with short-term lodging, food, clothing and replacement of lost medications. Its disaster line is 1-800-RED-CROSS.
• Get everything in writing from the landlord. Ask whether your lease continues, whether rent is abated while the unit is uninhabitable, and when and how you can retrieve belongings. Your state's landlord-tenant law and your lease control these questions.
• Notify your renters insurer immediately. Many policies include "loss of use" coverage for hotel and food costs above normal living expenses, plus coverage for belongings. Keep every receipt. Our guide to renters insurance after a fire explains how that coverage works.
• Document what you can. Photograph any visible damage when you are allowed back in, and list lost items from memory, photos and online purchase histories.
• Replace key documents. Our first-72-hours checklist covers IDs, medications, and who to notify.

The fire also offers a reminder that working smoke alarms and a practiced exit plan matter most in the hours when people are asleep or away. Tenants can check that alarms in their unit are working and ask the landlord to fix any that are not; see our apartment fire safety guide.

Knoxville fire context

Officials have not said whether any of the 14 units can be reoccupied soon. Residents of units with only minor smoke and water damage may still be unable to return until the building is inspected and utilities are restored, so they should ask the property manager for a written timeline and keep records of any extra costs while they are out.

We will update this report if Knoxville fire officials announce a cause or a damage estimate.

Photo: Smoke from an apartment fire in Buffalo, N.Y., 2007, by DragonFire1024 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. File photo; it does not show the Knoxville fire.