A space heater is believed to be the cause of a residential structure fire in Knoxville on Sunday. A press release from the Knoxville Fire Department indicates the incident happened just before 6 p.m. in the 500 Block of East Washington Street. While enroute, dispatch advised the house was filling with smoke and the fire was located in a wall in the living room. The Knoxville Fire Department responded with one engine company, one EMS company, and two command officers. When crews arrived, they found light smoke on the main floor of the home, and discovered a small fire in an outlet, with part of the curtains on fire. Crews extinguished the fire using a water can. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Fire Chief Cal Wyman says the flames were started by a space heater that was plugged into an overloaded circuit and there were also no working smoke alarms in the home. The Knoxville Fire Department installed an alarm in that was donated by Marion County Habitat for Humanity. Wyman would like to remind everyone to use space heaters with caution, and follow all safety instructions, and to keep working smoke detectors installed and batteries updated. He would also like to thank Marion County Habitat for Humanity for partnering with the department to make sure all homes in Knoxville have a working smoke detector.