A carelessly discarded cigarette appears to be the cause of an apartment fire that killed a man and injured two women in North Knoxville, according to the Knoxville Fire Department.
The body of Charles Bishop, 82, was discovered in a front bedroom at Williamsburg Village Apartments, 5005 Inskip Drive, about 10:22 p.m. Sunday, according to KFD Capt. D.J. Corcoran.
Firefighters found his wife, Dorris Bishop, 72, overcome by smoke just inside the apartment door. Anedia Bishop, 51, was overcome by smoke and found in a back bedroom.
Dorris Bishop and Anedia Bishop were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and treated for smoke inhalation.
A fourth person, Charles Matthew Bishop, managed to escape the apartment.
Firefighters had responded to a similar fire call about 10:26 p.m. on March 8, according to Corcoran. The fire was quickly extinguished, and a fire captain noted the incident was caused by reckless behavior involving cigarettes, Corcoran said.
Charles Matthew Bishop, son of the deceased, voiced concern about his mother’s smoking habits, which spurred a request for the Knoxville Fire Department’s public education officer to visit the apartment.
That visit – which is intended to make residents aware of the dangers of smoking – was scheduled for this week, according to Corcoran.
Firefighters kept the fire largely contained to the one apartment in the four-unit building. Four people in an adjacent unit were able to escape safely, Corcoran said.
The two second-floor units of the building were vacant.
