The Lee County Sheriff's Department said Monday that they were notified shortly after 6 p.m. of a trailer fire at the residence of Johnny Lenord and June Menz.
Thomas Walker Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Departments were dispatched to the scene.
While firefighters were battling the blaze, some reported a stranger odor and several became sick - some said they were nauseous and short of breath.
Officials on the scene said they do not know what made the men sick but they were treated as if they had been exposed to hazardous materials. Firefighters and rescue squad members were taken to Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Hospital, where they were decontaminated before being taken into the building.
Thomas Walker Fire Chief Steve Jaynes told the Kingsport-Times Monday that he wasn't sure what the men were exposed to. He said firefighters had blood work done to try and figure out what affected the men.
Jaynes added that since the trailer burned to the ground and nothing was left, it may be hard to tell what really affected the firefighters, even after the testing.
Although many rumors circulated in the community Monday that the fire was the result of a meth lab, nothing was confirmed.
Jaynes said there were a number of complex chemicals in smoke that can make a person sick. He said six firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, and the decontamination was a precaution.
Menza, one of the occupants of the trailer, suffered moderate burns while trying to extinguish the fire before the firefighters arrived on scene. She was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
The sheriff's department said an arson investigator from the Virginia State Police will be looking into the cause of the fire.
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