VIDEO: Sunchase Apartment Fire

Residents displaced after West Knoxville apartment fire

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Investigators continue trying to determine what caused a Tuesday morning apartment fire in West Knoxville.

It broke out just before dawn at the Sunchase apartments.

Flames were shooting about 20 feet above the building by the time Rural/Metro crews arrived.

Nineteen were left homeless, but no one was hurt.

Fire crews did allow folks to get a few things to take with them as they figure out what comes next.

Chris Miller was among those who had to find another bed to sleep in.
His living room is a mess.

"The ceiling came down on it," he explained.

But, he was able to salvage most of his belongings.

He woke up when he heard banging on his door.

"Got up to see what was going on. And as I was walking to the door, looked out the window, and saw flames coming off the side of the building," Miller recalled.

Fire was feeding on the 1980's wood building.

Miller stood with his neighbors of Building 23 and they watched their homes burn.

"We grabbed the animals and the phone. We didn't think to get the keys or money. We just got them and ran out," Jamie Rasmussen told Volunteer TV.

For 30 minutes, Rural/Metro battled to control the fire.

"It was surreal, it didn't seem like it was actually happening," Miller said.

"Not until he actually said 'fire' did I smell a fire," Rasmussen added.

"Fire alarm, did you hear it?" Volunteer TV asked.
"No," she responded.

"It seems reasonable to me that the majority would not have heard a fire alarm sounding," Rural/ Metro Battalion Chief Jeff Devlin said when we asked him about it.

By sun up, fire fighters were better able to assess the damage and Chief Devlin explained that the flames spread quickly because of the open attic-- which is common in apartment complexes.

"My understanding is there are fire walls here. Which is a good thing. The negative, there's no sprinkler system," he went on.

Devlin says Sunchase isn't unlike most apartments around town.
Because fire codes in the 80's don't spell out things like "sprinkler systems," renters should get insurance.

"This is older construction. It's unreasonable to expect a lot of people to go back and retro-fit."

The American Red Cross put nine people up in hotels.
And we've heard Sunchase is trying to get everyone into new units as quickly as possible.

Rural/Metro turned the case over to the Knox County Fire Investigation Bureau to determine what happened.

It's unclear if the fire started in an occupied or vacant unit.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Fire crews battled an early morning West Knoxville apartment fire that displaced several residents.

According to Rural Metro, the blaze started around 5:00 a.m. Tuesday.

One apartment in building number 23 was engulfed in flames. Residents say it was vacant. We're told flames spread and damaged a total of six apartments.

More than a dozen people were evacuated, many by Knox County Sheriff's deputies knocking on their doors and waking them up.

Those residents are being cared for by the Knox County Volunteer Rescue Squad members and the Red Cross, who are providing blankets, coffee and other help as needed.

Residents of the building are not being allowed back in at this time.

The cause remains under investigation, and there are no reports of injuries.

We will continue to follow this story for you on Volunteer TV, and Volunteer TV.Com