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A Knoxville College building in Tennessee burned down on Monday, officials reported.
Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, Knoxville College sits on 58 acres and has 18 buildings. The institution lost its national accreditation in 1997 and became East Tennessee’s only historically Black college or university (HBCU). While in-person classes have not been held on the campus since 2015, the college continues to offer some online courses.
“It’s a sad day for Knoxville,” said Mayor Indya Kincannon on Monday night. She described the college as “a pillar of the higher education community for Black people in Knoxville and beyond.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the incident.
What Happened at Knoxville College?
A massive fire erupted around 8:30 p.m. ET on November 4 at Knoxville College. Fortunately, the building was vacant at the time, and no one was injured.
The Knoxville Fire Department confirmed in a news release that the fire occurred at the administration building, Elnathan Hall, which partially collapsed. The 126-year-old building was deemed a total loss.
The lack of a functional water system on the unused campus made it difficult for firefighters to access water during the initial stages of the blaze, according to Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks. Twelve hours after arriving on scene, crews were still working to extinguish hotspots.
What Caused the HBCU Building to Burn Down?
The Knoxville Fire Department’s investigation unit is working to determine the cause of the massive fire. By late morning on November 5, a city excavator was digging through the rubble. Once the hotspots are fully extinguished and investigators are able to access the remains of the building, they will collect and analyze more evidence to help determine the cause of the fire, Wilbanks said.
“I can’t say that for 100% right this moment, but there is a strong likelihood (that the fire was man-made),” Wilbanks told Knox News. “Until I have an investigator come back to me and say we know that someone started the fire I can’t say that, but there is a strong likelihood that is the case based on what we know now.”
According to the Knoxville Fire Department’s Facebook page, there was a smaller fire on October 30 at Knoxville College on the 7th floor of the MLK Building. The fire, which was contained to a small trash can, was quickly extinguished.
