02-24-16 Firefighter Injured in House Fire

Moments later, flames blew out a front window. Captain Scott Pell, the incident commander, said high winds blew in through the open window, fanning the flames. One firefighter said it was as if the fire turned into a blow torch. With temperatures soaring inside, one firefighter received relatively minor burns to his neck, face and arms. He was removed from the house and handed off to paramedics with Hamilton County EMS, who transported him to a local hospital. Though his burns are not life-threatening, he is expected to be taken to the the burn unit at Vanderbilt Hospital tomorrow for further evaluation.

With the high winds making it more difficult to put the fire out, the incident commander called for a total of five fire companies to respond to the scene. The firefighters got the blaze under control in roughly 15 minutes, containing the fire damage to a couple of rooms. With some of the wiring damaged by the fire, EPB was asked to cut power to the house. Captain Suttles said one woman lived in the house, but she was not home at the time of the fire. Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee were called in to provide assistance to the victim. Chattanooga police also provided assistance on the scene with traffic control.

An estimate on the dollar loss was not available. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In the photo:

Melted Helmet - This is the helmet and face mask worn by the injured firefighter. Heat from the wind-fed flames became so intense that part of face shield on his helmet actually melted. The firefighter is being treated at a local hospital and will be evaluated further tomorrow at Vanderbilt Hospital's burn center.