On Monday, May 15, Knoxville Fire Chief Stan Sharp made the difficult decision to relocate Fire Station 6 equipment and personnel to Fire Station 16. This was due to structural and settling issues at Fire Station 6. This move is temporary in nature as the department and City work to find a resolution to the problem.

Knoxville Fire Department Station 6 opened in Burlington under Mayor James Elmore in 1937. Since then, station 6 has been a fixture in the Burlington community. The station has housed many firefighters and various apparatus over the last 87 years, and the crews of Station 6 have proudly served its community. Fire Station 6 is a valuable addition to this part of the city and is necessary for the Knoxville Fire Department to serve this community best. Fire Station 6 currently runs approximately 1500 calls for service annually. 

After becoming aware of a recent settling and shifting of the fire station bay floor, along with the development of new cracks in the walls an engineering firm was contracted by the City of Knoxville to inspect and evaluate the structure’s condition.

The recommendation from the engineer is that the fire truck not be parked in the building until further evaluation and potential remediation can be performed. In light of this recommendation, Fire Chief Stan Sharp has elected to temporarily move Engine 6 from 3925 Holston Drive, which is 1.8 miles to the east of its current home, to Fire Station 16, located at 5102 Asheville Highway.  

The City of Knoxville and the Knoxville Fire Department await further information before any next steps are taken, and KFD will closely monitor all calls for service in the area to ensure our visitors and citizens continue to receive the best possible service from KFD. 

Click here to learn more about the Knoxville Fire Department.