Knoxville Fire Department initially responded to a business that mulches timber and brush refuse under contract to the City of Knoxville, Tennesssee on April 15, 2012. At that time the site contained an estimated 5 acres of mulch including timber staged for mulching with some of the piles approximately 40-feet in height. within the next few days the fire continued to spread and the Knoxville Fire Department expanded it's crew and equipment and established a Unified Command (UC) that included the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), Knoxville Emergency Management Agency (KEMA), Knoxville EMS, Knox County Health Department, CSX Railroad, Tennessee Department of Environment, Knoxville Police Department, Tennessee National Guard Civilian Support Team (CST 45), and Knoxville Utilities (KU). In the evening of April 18, 2012, the Region 4 EPA Emergency Operations Center notified the the out-posted On Scene Coordinator (Steve Spurlin) in Jackson, Tennessee and the On Scene Coordinator (David Andrews) who was conducting a removal action in Morristown, TN approximately 45 miles northeast of Knoxville. OSC Andrews attended the 0700-hours UC briefing on April 19, 2012 to obtain information on the fire status, impact on public health and environmental impact on Third Creek that is a tributary to the Tennessee River located approximately one-half mile south of the site.
