The President's Corner
Vigilance helps protect us all

		Above, the house at 1300 Kenyon was set on fire in the early morning of August 22nd. Other deliberate house fires have also recently been set in Old North Knoxville. [Editor’s note, this house was featured in the last issue of Old North News.]

For the second issue in a row, I am writing to talk about fire. On the early morning of August 22nd two fires to historic homes were set in Old North Knoxville. One fire was set about 2 a.m. on the front porch of the nearly complete restoration by Knox Heritage at 1300 Kenyon Ave. The fire did damage to the front, roof, and side of the house. Reportedly, a second fire was attempted at a house nearby on Folsom at about the same time. Luckily, it didn't take hold. 

Then around 2 to 4 a.m. on August 24th there was a fire set to the back of a house on Grainger Ave. One of the smoke alarms went off and woke one of the tenants, who phoned 911 and got everyone out. The Knoxville Fire Department quickly had the fire under control and the damage was confined to the rear exterior. Fortunately, no one was hurt. 

First, thank you to the fire department for their fast and diligent responses. Second, unlike the July 4th fire to the house on Oklahoma, these fires were set on purpose. Somebody deliberately set them to destroy historic homes and possibly take lives. Third, leave porch lights on through the night, front and back, and if you see any street lights that are out, call 311 to report it. Fourth, call 911 immediately if you see anything suspicious. 

Executive Director Kim Trent says Knox Heritage plans to repair the fire damage and finish the work on the Kenyon house, and the couple who were less than a week from moving in to the house, still intend to buy it. That is good news, not only for a house that has been unoccupied for over 14 years, but for Old North Knoxville. Also, no lives were lost in any of these recent fires, and all the houses are repairable. However, if we are all not vigilant, next time we might not be so lucky.

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