East Tennessee firefighters donate money to family after housefire

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Knoxville Firefighters Association donated money to a Powell family after their house was engulfed in flames on Monday.

Rural Metro Fire helped extinguish the flames, but now local firefighters are pitching in to help.

Knoxville Firefighters Association president Kevin Faddis said, “We help families who have been burned out not only in Knoxville. Knox County, Blount County and the surrounding areas. Anderson County.”

The group raises money throughout the year and will in turn give some of it to fire victims. On Thursday, they gave the Burnette family a $500 check.

“That helps them maybe with food, clothes and things they need immediately right then and there,” Faddis said.

This money won’t cover the entire cost of the damage, but Faddis said the family acted as if it would.

“There’s was a little different I don’t know why, but it seemed like it meant a little more maybe because it was around Christmas. It seemed even more genuine.”

As the Burnette family continues to pick up the pieces, firefighters continue stepping up to help them move forward.

Faddis said, “What I’m hoping after all of this is that they come out better than they were. You always want to leave a situation better than it was.”

We reached out to the Burnette family, but they chose not to comment at this time.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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