Fire significantly damages two-story restaurant at Choto Marina, Rural Metro says
Rural Metro said crews were forced to work from the outside because the building had collapsed on itself.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rural Metro Fire said it was called to a major fire at Cheers at Choto Bar & Grill, located at the Choto Marina, Wednesday morning.
According to Jeff Bagwell with Rural Metro, crews responded to the fire just before 7 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found the two-story building nearly fully engulfed in flames.
Bagwell said crews were forced to work from the outside because the building had collapsed on itself. Despite this, he said crews were later able to get inside to put out a lot of hidden spot fires in the rubble.
Bagwell added crews will remain on the scene until all the hidden fires are exposed and extinguished.
Fortunately, the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to nearby fuel pumps and the boats docked in the marina.
No injuries were reported, Bagwell said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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