NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A large fire broke out overnight at a mixed-use building in East Nashville.
The fire started around 11 p.m. Saturday at a building on W. Kirkland Avenue and firefighters remained on scene into Sunday morning.
The building houses both residential and business units, including a dog training facility.
Fire crews said everyone was able to get out. Two people were taken to the hospital for treatment, but everyone is expected to be OK. Unfortunately, a department spokesperson says multiple animals were found dead. They could not confirm the number or what parts of the building they came from.
One man who owned an art gallery in the building was inside when the fire started. He said he heard loud noises and tried to escape the heat and smoke. He eventually made it to the roof of the building where he was rescued by firefighters.
“It was a total loss for all my personal belongings and all my business belongings,” said Owen Reich. “I have been collecting art for the art place for awhile personally and I had started buying, over the last few months, from local artists. But, that’s all gone.”
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire.
A previous version of this story stated three dogs were killed in the incident, based on information from an NFD official on the scene. A spokesperson later told News Channel 5 they could not confirm the number of deceased animals found, and the article has been updated to reflect this.
