Wednesday was just an ordinary day at Smoky Mountain Traders in Blount County… until a nearby debris fire that grew out of control spread to Keith Bledsoe’s classic used-car restoration and sales business.

“It caught one on fire and then it just kind of dominoed quickly,” Bledsoe said.

Blount County Fire Captain Jason Stinnett said the initial fire call indicated four cars were on fire. “Obviously we could tell from the smoke that it was growing pretty quickly,” Stinnett said.

Highway 321 had to be shut down in both directions at Carver Road, because smoke made visibility a real problem. “Smoke was covering the roadway, so we had to deal with that early on,” Stinnett said.

Two houses and a barn were also in the path of the blaze, but the fire was extinguished before it spread that far.

The roadway was reopened and an investigation is ongoing.

But for Bledsoe, getting back to normal may take some time. “It was just a normal day that changed pretty quick,” he said.