01-24-14 Cause of 2-Alarm Fire at Carriage Parc Apartments Believed Accidental

The resident in that unit told Lt. McElvain that she discovered the fire on her balcony shortly after 3:00 a.m. when she heard a loud noise. She said she grabbed a small portable fire extinguisher from the kitchen, but as she headed toward the balcony, the fire broke through the sliding glass door. She then went to her bedroom to get her dog, left her apartment and activated a fire alarm pull station. She said she banged on neighbor's doors to alert them to the fire and grabbed a larger fire extinguisher from the hallway. But when she returned to her apartment, but smoke was just too intense, so she left the building with her dog.

Lt. McElvain said an improperly discarded cigarette butt on the woman's balcony was the likely cause of the fire. The woman said she discarded her cigarette butts in flower pots. With no other ignition source on the balcony located, Lt. McElvain believes a lit cigarette butt ignited a small fire in the flower pot, which spread to the wooden balcony and vinyl siding on the exterior wall of the building. The cause of the fire will be ruled accidental. No injuries were reported, but several pets -- mostly cats -- were unaccounted for.

Of the 54 apartment units affected, Lt. McElvain said 12 were destroyed by the fire. Another dozen units were damaged by smoke and water, and the rest had no electrical service since the power was disconnected to the building. The American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee is providing valuable assistance to the displaced residents by providing a temporary shelter at the East Brainerd Church of Christ.

An estimate on the dollar loss was not available. Captain Anthony Moore and Lt. Andrew Waters assisted with the investigation.