UPDATED: Murfreesboro, TN - An early Tuesday (8/12/2025) morning fire at 417 E. Burton Street, seriously injured a male in the home. He was first taken to the ER at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, and then flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. 

Authorities told WGNS News that the chemicals in today's carpets, upholstery and curtains--emit deadly gases when in high heat environments. These days, people inside a burning structure have only about 2-minutes to escape. Once the synthetic fibers are heated, they release deadly toxins.

While the fire remains under investigation, extensive fire and heavy smoke damage swept through the 962 square foot home that was built in 1937. 

Again, a male in his 60s was seriously injured in the Tuesday morning blaze and was flown by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt. 

As noted in a prior update, the injuries sustained by the man found inside the home were severe enough to require air evacuation to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The hospital houses a specialized 25-bed burn unit, staffed by a team of doctors and nurses whose sole focus is addressing the complex physical, medical, and emotional needs of burn patients throughout their admission, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation. 

NewsRadio WGNS will keep you informed when more information is released. 

UPDATED: MURFREESBORO, TN - One person was seriously injured and taken to the hospital after an early morning fire was reported to the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department on Tuesday. The call to dispatch came at about 5:43 a.m. on August 12, 2025, sending crews to a structure fire in the downtown area, about five blocks south of Oaklands Mansion.

When a house fire occurs in an area like East Burton Street — the location of this particular blaze — there is always an increased risk of it spreading to nearby structures due to the close proximity of buildings, homes, detached garages, and even landscaping. In this case, the fire broke-out at a home in the 400 block of East Burton, a roadway lined with residential properties that include not only single-family homes, but also duplexes and tri-plexes housing multiple families.

The injuries sustained by the man found inside the home were severe enough to require air evacuation to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The hospital houses a specialized 25-bed burn unit, staffed by a dedicated team of doctors and nurses whose sole focus is addressing the complex physical, medical, and emotional needs of burn patients throughout their admission, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation. 

Throughout Middle Tennessee, Vanderbilt is the primary hospital specializing in the care of burn patients. The unit treats both adult and pediatric cases.

After the patient was transported to the hospital, firefighters remained on the scene for several hours to ensure hot spots did not reignite. A crew member from the Murfreesboro Fire Marshal’s Office was also called to investigate the cause of the incident. That investigation remains ongoing.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Early Tuesday morning (August 12, 2025), the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department was called to the scene of a structure fire in the downtown area. When a structure fire breaks out in a location like East Burton Street, there is always an increased risk of the blaze spreading to nearby structures due to the close proximity of buildings, homes, detached garages, and even landscaping.

In this case, the fire was reported in the 400 block of East Burton Street, near the intersection with Maney Avenue. That particular roadway lined with a mix of residential properties that include not only single-family homes, but also duplexes and tri-plexes housing multiple families.

The call regarding the fire was filtered through dispatchers at 5:43 AM on Tuesday, leading to an increase of traffic congestion in front of the home and along East Burton Street and nearby cross-intersections. 

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