KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — A Knoxville man is charged with arson after investigators said he intentionally started a fire in his apartment.
Firefighters responded to the fire at Cherokee Ridge Apartments at 301 Woodlawn Pike just after midnight on Monday. No one was hurt, but eight people had to find a new place to live.
As fire crews were evacuating residents and fighting the fire, KPD officers were looking for the man who started the fire.
According to the arrest warrant, officers had a description provided by a neighbor who called 911, and officers spotted Caleb Alex Jones, who matched the description.
When KPD officers and a KFD arson investigator spoke with Jones, he admitted he used a grill lighter to set his mattress on fire.
Jones' neighbor told investigators she heard Jones screaming, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" to another man in the apartment, according to the warrant.
As the two argued, the man said, "You just burned down everything we own" to which Jones replied "I'm going through stuff."
The man in the apartment confirmed that conversation to investigators, according to the warrant.
Jones was charged with aggravated arson, which is a felony.
Original story
A 12-unit building caught fire in Knoxville shortly before midnight on Monday, a news release from the Knoxville Fire Department said.
No one was injured in the fire, but temporary assistance will be needed for eight of the 24 residents of the building, according to the release.
The building was part of the Cherokee Ridge Apartments at 301 Woodlawn Pike.
Crews found smoke and flames coming from the "G" building when they arrived on the scene, and quickly evacuated the building of all tenants, the release said.
While banging on doors to alert tenants, other firefighters went to the apartment where the flames were located and began to extinguish it. While doing so, smoke flooded the center hallway which connects all the units, KFD said in the release.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.