VIDEO: Knoxville firefighters battled a fire at the Collective at Sutherland Sunday night, leaving over half the building destroyed and displacing 15 people on a bitterly cold night. Firefighter Colby Gabel responded to the fire at his own home, which ignited directly below his apartment. “My mind just went kind of totally blank,” Gabel said. “I just went into go mode and just tried to get everyone out that I could.”
Officials said the fire started after one of the residents was warming a pan of grease, and the cooking oil ignited. They said the resident tried to carry the pan outside, but the oil spilled.
KFD said this started a fire when it hit a piece of furniture in the living room. Officials also said that because of the winds, the fire spread through the breezeway, which cut off escape routes for several residents, leading to multiple people jumping from their balconies to escape the fire.
