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Multiple area fire departments and local emergency agencies worked together and kept a bad situation from becoming much worse on Thursday night. A garage at a residence on Oregon Drive caught fire and was completely destroyed, but due to quick action, the house adjacent was saved and no serious injuries occurred.

The fire occurred just about a mile east of Highway 5 on Oregon Drive. The Knoxville Rural Fire Department was first on the scene; they quickly requested help from surrounding agencies, including Indiana Township Fire Department, Clay Township Fire Department, Columbia Fire and Rescue, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Knoxville City Rescue.

At its peak, flames from the fire could be seen all the way from Bussey. Firefighters battled the immense heat on what was already a warm night. Flames from the garage were creeping up the back porch of the trailer home adjacent to the house, but fire crews were able to keep them from going any further, saving the house. Flames were also within a few inches of a propane tank, but were stopped there as well, keeping the tank from exploding. One firefighter says that the paint on the propane tank was beginning to blister before they put down the flames.

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Each department took turns backing up their tankers off of the gravel road, dumping the water into a collective pool before maneuvering the large vehicles out of the way to allow the next tanker to do the same. Firefighters rotated in and out, battling the flames and smoke and taking a breather when they needed to. Overall, one of the responders on scene said it was of the best organizations of multiple departments working together he’s seen.

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KNIA/KRLS was live on scene, giving listeners live updates as the firefighters fought the flames.

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The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and it remains under investigation. Be sure to listen to the Marion County Mid-Day Magazine at noon for additional reaction from Marion County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Anderson and Knoxville Rural Fire Chief Kenny Thompson.

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