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    1. Operations & Training

    Building on Vacant Knoxville, TN, College Campus Destroyed by Blaze

    Nov. 5, 2024
    Firefighters conducted an exterior operation as conditions were deemed too unsafe to enter, Knoxville Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks said.

    Firefighters conducted an exterior operation at a building fire on Knoxville College campus Monday night. 

    This was the ninth fire on the vacant campus this year. 

    Knoxville Assistant Fire Chief Mark Wilbanks told WATE crews reported heavy fire coming from the top of the administrative building known as L. Nathan Hall.

    Incident commanders decided that no firefighters would enter the building.

    “The building is extremely unsafe because it is unstable with those walls that are still left. This is a 100-plus-year-old building probably had a lot of wooden floors and things like that. It is a complete and total loss for the college.”

    He asked that anyone with information about the fires to contact the department or police. 

    Knoxville College is a Historically Black College or University that was founded by the Presbyterian Church of North America in 1875. It lost its accreditation in 1997 and stopped offering classes after 2015. Officials in recent years have sought to begin the reaccreditation process in order to reopen the school.

    About the Author

    Susan Nicol | News Editor

    Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues. 

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