03-02-16 Chattanooga Man Arrested for Aggravated Arson

Early this morning, just after midnight, Chattanooga firefighters were dispatched to a reported fire at 614 N. Parkdale Avenue. Some Chattanooga police officers arrived first, and found evidence of a fire on the garage attached to the house. Firefighters from Station 13 arrived and put out the hot spots with a portable fire extinguisher. When officers noticed the smell of gasoline, fire investigators were called to the scene.

After working on the case through the day today, investigators located and charged Arthur Tatum, 36, with Aggravated Arson. Captain Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the charged was upgraded to Aggravated Arson because the fire endangered the lives of one adult and one child in the house. Fortunately, the fire died out on its own and no one was injured. Captain Moore said the incident was related to a domestic dispute.

After being charged this afternoon, Mr. Tatum was transferred to the county jail for booking. Captain Henry McElvain and Chattanooga police also assisted with the investigation.