The Knoxville Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a structure fire in the 600 block of N Lincoln Street in Knoxville around 10:00 Tuesday evening. Battalion Chief Trenton Bacus tells KNIA/KRLS News that residents in one of the apartments of the split occupancy structure noticed the smell of smoke, and that it took some investigating to uncover.

“Initially we thought the fire was up on the second floor due to smoke conditions and stuff. But crews found that the fire was actually under the stairwell on the first floor, so they were able to make a quick knockdown on the fire. It did cause quite a bit of electrical damage where it was burning. It’s a large building with a bunch of compartments, and they just filled up with smoke, so we had a tough time getting the smoke out of the compartments, making sure we got all the hot spots out.”

Bacus says the structural damage was not extensive, and everyone was able to get out safely. The residents were displaced. Marion County Emergency Management and the Red Cross were able to find them a place to stay. Further investigation is pending. Assisting agencies included Knoxville Township Rural Fire Department, Knoxville Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasantville Fire Deparatment, Melcher-Dallas Fire Department, Pella EMS, Alliant Energy, and MidAmerican Energy.