Suspicious Fire at Knoxville Gay Bar

A fire at a gay bar in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday was deemed suspicious, although authorities declined to say whether evidence pointed to a hate crime.

According to The Knoxville Journal, Knoxville Fire Department spokesman D.J. Corcoran said that a passing motorist reported the fire in the back of the XYZ Club on North Central Avenue.

"Firefighters were called to the scene, and found the covered, outside eating area on fire, which had not yet breached the exterior wall to the inside of the building, but had jumped from the deck area of 1215 to the adjacent building next door, which occupied Knoxville Barber College, Corcoran said."

No injuries were reported in the fire, which is still under investigation.