Fire at Knoxville College: university building burned to the ground
7 november 2024 в 19:13
The college building in Knoxville, Tennessee, burned down on Monday, officials reported.
Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, Knoxville College occupies 58 acres and has 18 buildings. The institution lost its national accreditation in 1997 and became the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in East Tennessee. Although on-campus classes have not been held since 2015, the college continues to offer some online courses.
«It's a sad day for Knoxville», - Mayor Indya Kincannon said on Monday evening. She described the college as a «pillar of higher education for black people in Knoxville and beyond».
Here’s everything you need to know about this incident.
A massive fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 4 at Knoxville College. Fortunately, the building was empty at the time, and no one was injured.
The Knoxville Fire Department confirmed in a press release that the fire occurred in the administrative building, Elnathan Hall, which partially collapsed. The 126-year-old building was deemed completely lost.
The lack of a functioning water supply system on the unused campus hindered firefighters' access to water in the early stages of the fire, Deputy Chief Mark Wilbanks reported. Twelve hours after the arrival of the crews, they were still working to extinguish the fire.
The Knoxville Fire Department’s investigative division is working to determine the cause of the massive fire. By the end of the morning on November 5, a city excavator was digging through the rubble. Once the fire is completely extinguished and investigators can access the remains of the building, they will gather and analyze more evidence to help determine the cause of the fire, Wilbanks said.
«I can’t say this 100% right now, but there’s a high probability (that the fire was arson)», - Wilbanks told Knox News. «Until the investigator comes back and says someone set the fire, I can’t say that, but there’s a high probability based on what we know now».
According to the Knoxville Fire Department’s Facebook page, on October 30, a small fire occurred on the 7th floor of the MLK building at Knoxville College. The fire, contained to a small trash bin, was quickly extinguished
Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, Knoxville College occupies 58 acres and has 18 buildings. The institution lost its national accreditation in 1997 and became the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in East Tennessee. Although on-campus classes have not been held since 2015, the college continues to offer some online courses.
«It's a sad day for Knoxville», - Mayor Indya Kincannon said on Monday evening. She described the college as a «pillar of higher education for black people in Knoxville and beyond».
Here’s everything you need to know about this incident.
A massive fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 4 at Knoxville College. Fortunately, the building was empty at the time, and no one was injured.
The Knoxville Fire Department confirmed in a press release that the fire occurred in the administrative building, Elnathan Hall, which partially collapsed. The 126-year-old building was deemed completely lost.
The lack of a functioning water supply system on the unused campus hindered firefighters' access to water in the early stages of the fire, Deputy Chief Mark Wilbanks reported. Twelve hours after the arrival of the crews, they were still working to extinguish the fire.
The Knoxville Fire Department’s investigative division is working to determine the cause of the massive fire. By the end of the morning on November 5, a city excavator was digging through the rubble. Once the fire is completely extinguished and investigators can access the remains of the building, they will gather and analyze more evidence to help determine the cause of the fire, Wilbanks said.
«I can’t say this 100% right now, but there’s a high probability (that the fire was arson)», - Wilbanks told Knox News. «Until the investigator comes back and says someone set the fire, I can’t say that, but there’s a high probability based on what we know now».
According to the Knoxville Fire Department’s Facebook page, on October 30, a small fire occurred on the 7th floor of the MLK building at Knoxville College. The fire, contained to a small trash bin, was quickly extinguished
© Puhova Marina
