KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- Part of a row of 114-year-old warehouse buildings in downtown Knoxville continues to burn in a huge fire Wednesday morning.
Firefighters believed the fire was contained but around 7:00 a.m., another building in the row of warehouses caught fire.
The fire started around 1:10 a.m. in the old Philco Building and quickly spread to the McClung Warehouses, located at 501-525 West Jackson Avenue. Flames were soon shooting several feet into the air and lighting-up the night sky.
Winds and the intensity of the fire threatened other Old City buildings as firefighters tried to bring it under control The two-alarm fire reached the roof of the Emporium Building by 2:00 a.m.
Small fires caught on the roofs of nearby buildings. Firefighters had to spray water on several spots in the area to keep the fire from engulfing the downtown area.
Residents of lofts and downtown apartments were evacuated for a time, but they have been allowed to return to their homes.
Police have blocked off several streets in the area, including Jackson, the Gay Street Viaduct, and Broadway between Depot and Summit Hill.
Officials say no one was injured, but a firefighter narrowly escaped serious injury as a collapsing wall fell and hit a fire truck. The truck was badly damaged.
Knox County officials have battled with the owner of the warehouses, Mark Saroff, for several years to get the mostly-empty buildings repaired or town down.
Knox Heritage included the McClung Warehouses in its most recent selection of the "Fragile 15" in May 2006. The first building was erected in 1893.
Republished with permission of WATE-TV.
