KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A woman and her pets were saved Saturday morning after her house caught on fire.
It happened on around 11:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Whitesburg Road in North Knox County.
Rebecca Zucker-Johnson had just gotten home from CVS when she was flagged down by a delivery driver, urging her to get out of her home as it began to burst into flames.
She noted that she is incredibly grateful that her dog, Ally, and rescue cat were saved from the accident.
“My neighbor’s father came to get me out… I was still in the bathroom stuffing the cat into the carrier. I wasn’t going to leave without them,” Zucker-Johnson said.
She added that many of her valuable keepsakes, such as photos of her father, jewelry and other items like her marriage license and birth certificate were unscathed, however, she lost all of her clothing to the fire.
Zucker-Johnson said that her husband was in Colorado when the incident happened, and she is incredibly grateful to the community outreach she has received thus far.
“The neighborhood has been spectacular. I have great gratitude for everybody and some special man made a huge donation to me, but didn’t show himself,” she said. “He gave it to one of the firefighters to give me. So I don’t have anybody to thank. So I’ll just thank everyone.”
While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, it is believed the fire started in the garage, initial reports from RMF show.
Rural Metro Fire said the fire spread to a nearby house and crews from multiple companies worked to extinguish the second house while attacking the original fire.
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