Oak Ridge Today

Two buildings destroyed by fires in Briceville

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two buildings were destroyed by fires on Vowell Road in Briceville early Saturday morning. Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to the scene of the fire shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, and when they arrived, they reported that a house later determined to be vacant and an outbuilding were fully engulfed by flames.

Crews from the Briceville and Medford Volunteer Fire Departments extinguished both blazes, but both structures were destroyed. The cause of the fires is unknown.

Norris Freeway outbuilding burns

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Information from WYSH Radio

A storage building on Norris Freeway went up in flames early Saturday morning. The fire in the 3000 block of Norris Freeway was extinguished by the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, but officials were not able to determine the cause of the fire.

The house that shared the property was vacant.

Electrical fire damages mobile home in Marlow

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Information from WYSH Radio

A woman escaped injury when her mobile home caught fire Tuesday night.

The blaze was reported shortly after 10:15 p.m. Tuesday at a home on Center Valley Road in Marlow, and the occupant, Mildred Campbell, was able to make it out safely. She told investigators that she had smelled what she described as “waxy burn smell” and that her fire alarm then went off.

The property owner told Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies that Campbell had recently replaced the bathroom floor, and firefighters from the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department determined that the fire was electrical and had started under that floor. The fire—which has been ruled accidental—caused damage to the floor of the mobile home, which is north of Oak Ridge.

ORFD open house includes fire demonstration

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Oak Ridge Fire Department Burn Cell

A burn cell flashes over during an Oak Ridge Fire Department open house on Thursday. (Submitted photo)

A Thursday evening open house at Fire Station No. 3 in Oak Ridge included a live fire demonstration of a typical living room fire, which allowed those who attended to watch a fire progress from start to “flashover” at 1,150 degrees.

The burn cells constructed for these type of demonstrations are located at Fire Station No. 3 and were built under a partnership agreement with the University of Tennessee’s National Forensic Academy and the Oak Ridge Fire Department as a teaching tool for fire development studies. The live fire demonstration allowed attendees to see firsthand how quickly a fire develops and the tremendous amount of heat released from a burning sofa and chair. The live fire demonstration illustrated the need for smoke alarms and exit drills to save lives when every second counts, a press release said. [Read more…]

Fire destroys car, damages house in Briceville

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Information from WYSH Radio

A car was destroyed and the house it was parked next to was damaged early Monday when it caught fire in Briceville.

The incident happened shortly after midnight Monday at a house on Seiber Mountain Lane. Firefighters from the Briceville and Medford Fire Departments responded and put out the fire, which started in a Pontiac Grand Prix, and spread to the nearby house, which was burned through the siding and into the attic, according to the report. [Read more…]

Sheriff’s Department probes house fire as case of arson

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a fire at a vacant mobile home on Moser Lane as arson. The fire was reported at around 7 p.m. Wednesday at 186 Moser Lane and was extinguished by crews from the Medford Volunteer Fire Department.

A deputy was called to the scene after firefighters reported finding two points of origin for the fire, one in the living room and another just inside the back door. [Read more…]

Lightning strike causes house fire, damage estimated at $10,000

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Royal Troon House Fire Lightning Strike

A lightning strike started a fire at a home on Royal Troon in east Oak Ridge on Wednesday afternoon, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage, authorities said. (Photos courtesy Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A lighting strike appears to have started a fire at a home on Royal Troon in east Oak Ridge during an intense storm Wednesday afternoon, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage, authorities said.

There were no injuries, but the homeowners will be relocated while repairs are made, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The lightning strike occurred at about 2:24 p.m. Wednesday. It appears to have traveled into the home by either the electrical system or natural gas pipes, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Suspicious barn fire probed

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday night fire that destroyed a barn in Anderson County is being investigated as suspicious. The fire occurred at a barn on Miller Hollow Lane shortly after 11 p.m., according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, which said the property owner heard a loud noise outside his house, and when he went to investigate saw the barn engulfed by flames.

The property owner told deputies he had recently been involved with a legal dispute and that he believed that the fire had been deliberately set. The investigation is ongoing. No injuries were reported.

Suspicious fire probed in Oliver Springs

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Information from WYSH Radio

For the second time this month, Anderson County investigators are probing a fire at a vacant, foreclosed house.

The most recent incident happened Wednesday afternoon at a home on Cove Lane in Oliver Springs. The Oliver Springs Fire Department was called to the house at around 2 p.m. Wednesday, and firefighters reported that the structure was fully engulfed by flames. No injuries were reported, and the fire is being investigated as suspicious since there was no electricity hooked up to it at the time of the blaze.

Anderson County fire probed as arson

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Information from WYSH Radio

A fire that destroyed a vacant home on Back Vowell Road early Wednesday morning is being investigated as arson.

The fire was reported at around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday and extinguished by the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department. A neighbor told an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy the house had been foreclosed upon and had been vacant for about two years. Investigators reported that the house had an electric meter, but that the fire started at the other end of the building. The cause of Wednesday’s fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

No one injured, but home heavily damaged in Hickory Lane fire

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Hickory Lane House Fire

No one was injured, but an unoccupied home was heavily damaged in a Thursday morning fire on Hickory Lane, authorities said.

No one was injured, but an unoccupied home on Hickory Lane was heavily damaged in a fire early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Neighbors said they heard something and went outside and saw that the house at 109 Hickory Lane was on fire at about 3:15 a.m., Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

He said the cause of the fire has not been determined, but it is under investigation. [Read more…]

Wednesday fire at European Import Auto Parts said to be accidental

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Information from WYSH Radio

Investigators say that it appears that Wednesday’s fire that destroyed the European Import Auto Parts salvage yard on Clinton Highway was an accident, as they had initially believed. Officials said Thursday that they believe the fire started in a vehicle in the garage with a leaky gas tank, gas from which is believed to have been ignited by a stray spark. The fire spread quickly and set off several explosions before destroying the business.

One Claxton firefighter had to be taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion but was released Wednesday night. No one else was injured.