The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is honoring the late deputy Tucker Blakely by retiring his unit number E19.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler says retiring Blakely’s Unit number is just the right thing to do in order to honor his service and sacrifice.
Deputy Blakely died in October after being shot responding to a domestic violence call.
Brush and Wildfires are burning across East Tennessee.
As of Friday at 12:30 p.m., the largest is in Scott County on Smokey Creek Road. This fire is 60% contained and affecting almost 2,700 acres.
A brush fire in Union County destroys one building near Satterfield Road.
Rural Metro called to the scene yesterday (Thursday) to assist Union County in battling that blaze.
The Cherokee National Forest initiates Forest Wide Fire Restrictions prohibiting building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation areas.
There are three active fires in the forest, the Tweed Fire in Cocke County which is 60% contained affecting over 500 acres and the Buck Bald fire in Polk County is also 60 percent contained and affecting almost 600 acres. These fires are being investigated as possible arson.
The Bullet fire in Monroe County near Etowah remains at 103 acres and 20 percent contained. The cause of this fire remains under investigation.
Dollywood is open after the Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry continue to battle a wildfire that sparked near the park closing it briefly yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.
Officials say the fire is burning in a heavily-wooded area near Veterans Boulevard and say structures were threatened by the blaze but that bulldozers established a perimeter around the fire protecting those structures. The theme park is about a 10-minute drive from the site of the fire.
The National Weather Service says drought conditions have worsened for all of East Tennessee.
The Exceptional Drought category, which is the highest intensity, has expanded into a most of East Tennessee which includes parts of Knox, Anderson, Roane, Loudon, McMinn and Monroe Counties.
NWS says the last time East Tennessee was in this category was in late September 2016 and the last time for Knox County was November 22, 2016, right before the Gatlinburg Wildfires.
From September 1st of this year through November 15th, McGee Tyson Airport recorded just over one inch of rain.
The Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks event to benefit senior dogs will be this weekend.
Zoom Room is hosting the event on Sunday from 4p – 6p at 10938 Spring Bluff Road in Hardin Valley near King University.
It’s part of the supporting Knox Vintage Pet Project celebrating senior dog month.
Zoom Room will be offering $5 intros to Agility and Tricks classes, a golden opportunity for your senior pup to show off their skills.
Please go to zoom room dot com for more information.
MEDIC is still falling behind the Kentucky Blood Center in the 38th Orange and Blue Blood Drive.
Day four totals are in and Kentucky with over a 500 pint lead in the competition which runs through today (Friday) so you still have time to help push TN for another win over Kentucky.
Donors will receive a special edition t-shirt, $10 e-gift card, ticket for Fantasy of Trees, and coupons to Smoothie King, Dunkin, Texas Roadhouse, Salsarita’s, Petro’s, and Papa John’s.
Remember, someone needs blood roughly every 2 seconds and 1 in 7 people will need blood in their lifetime.
Please go to https://medicblood.org/ to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Until further notice, those enjoying the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will have to do it without campfires or charcoal grills.
Park officials announcing the ban Thursday afternoon, saying it applies to both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides of the park.
The restriction comes as several wildfires break out across East Tennessee, including in Pigeon Forge.
Officials add that campers, backpackers and visitors can still use gas stoves provided those stoves have an on/off switch.
Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 11/16 4:45 p.m.: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry continue working a wildfire that sparked ahead of 3:00 Thursday afternoon.
Representatives with Dollywood have now reopened entry into the park after a temporary suspension for roughly thirty minutes Thursday. An announcement from park officials on ‘X’ says “Dollywood entries are no longer suspended and turnstiles are open for all guests.”
UPDATE: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry are on the scene this afternoon of a wildfire near Dollywood.
Officials say the fire is burning in a heavily-wooded area near E. Ridge Road and Veterans Boulevard. They say structures were threatened by the blaze but that bulldozers had responded to set up a fire perimeter. As of 3:30 today, officials say a line had been established around the fire.
Representatives with Dollywood have now suspended entry to the theme park while they work with agencies to monitor the situation. Dollywood is about a 10-minute drive from the site of the fire.
There is currently a burn ban in Sevier County. People in Sevier County can sign up for emergency fire alerts straight to their phones here. The state also tracks wildfires here.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Pigeon Forge Fire Department and the Tennessee Department of Forestry are on the scene this afternoon of a wildfire near Dollywood.
Officials say the fire is burning in a heavily-wooded area near E. Ridge Road and Veterans Boulevard. They say structures were threatened by the blaze but that bulldozers had responded to set up a fire perimeter. As of 3:30 today, officials say a line had been established around the fire.
The Dollywood theme park is about a 10-minute drive from the site of the fire. Park officials say they are monitoring the situation, but there has been no change so far to park operations.
This is a developing story.
MEDIC is still trailing the Kentucky Blood Center in the 38th Orange and Blue Blood Drive.
Day three totals are in and Kentucky still has a slight lead in the competition which runs through tomorrow (Friday). The center collecting the most products in five days will take the trophy.
Donors will receive a special edition t-shirt, $10 e-gift card, ticket for Fantasy of Trees, and coupons to Smoothie King, Dunkin, Texas Roadhouse, Salsarita’s, Petro’s, and Papa John’s.
Please go to https://medicblood.org/ to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Farragut, TN (WOKI) A home in Farragut is heavily damaged after a fire in a burn barrel spread to the residence Thursday morning.
Rural Metro fire officials say firefighters responded to the scene of a house fire on Grisby Chapel Road at Woodchase after they received a call reporting the fire shortly after 11:30.
Once on the scene, firefighters found fire coming from the back of the house. Officials say crews were able to extinguish the flames within 20 minutes and keep most of the fire damage out of the main part of the house.
No one was injured in the fire, but the home did sustain heavy damage.
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Eight people have been displaced from their apartments following an early morning fire Thursday in the 7000 block of Nature Trail Boulevard near Karns.
Rural Metro fire officials say crews responded to the scene shortly after 8:00 to find three apartments heavily involved with fire spreading to the last two and the attic. They say crews were able to stop the spread before the blaze reached other units.
The American Red Cross is assisting those residents who have been affected by the incident. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
At least one person has died and an investigation is underway following a fire at Forrest Ridge Apartments.
Fire Investigators were dispatched to r the 2900 block of Tyler Jacob Way yesterday (Wednesday) morning and the victim was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensics Center for examination.
At least one person has died and an investigation is underway following a fire at Forrest Ridge Apartments.
Fire Investigators were dispatched to r the 2900 block of Tyler Jacob Way yesterday (Wednesday) morning and the victim was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensics Center for examination.
