KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Thursday night, Rural Metro Fire responded to a commercial fire that broke out at a laundromat in the 400 block of N. Cedar Bluff Road. Crews were able to contain and extinguish the flames, but two firefighters suffered minor injuries, and several businesses sustained significant damage.
David Devaney, Owner of Tennessee Rose Tattoo, was in the middle of a session around 7:30 Thursday night when everything changed.
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“One of the guys noticed that there was smoke coming from the back of the building and we all kind of looked up, and I could see flames coming through the back corner,” Devaney said. “So we immediately jumped up, grabbed what we could, and got out.”Devaney and other business owners stayed at the scene throughout the night. For the tattoo shop, most of the damage was caused by water and smoke. Sprinklers had gone off, with only minor fire damage.
“We opened a week ago. We’ve been working on the shop since, June-ish. It’s overwhelming,” he said. “Right now, just trying to figure out what the next steps are, but we’re hopeful. Barnett Roofing is right next door. They had water in their space. Papa John’s for sure had smoke from what I saw. So everyone’s kind of dealing with different variations of, or degrees of damage.”
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Two firefighters were hurt that night, Rural Metro tells 6 News one was treated on scene for heat exhaustion and the other taken to the hospital. Both are now in stable condition. Rural Metro Public Information Officer Jeff Bagwell said fires like this can create hidden hazards…