4-4-24 Family members escape Citico Ave blaze

A Chattanooga child and her father are safe after flames swept through their home early Friday morning. At 5:41 AM on 4/5/24, CFD Blue Shift companies responded to the 1300 block of Citico Avenue at its intersection with North Holtzclaw Avenue for a residential structure fire with possible entrapment. A second alarm was called to bring additional CFD personnel to the scene. Firefighters made a coordinated fire attack with search efforts and did not locate anyone inside the apartment. Officials on the scene soon learned that all of the occupants of the home were safe and had made it out of the burning structure. Crews continued working until the fire was out, preventing it from spreading to three other adjoining units. Chattanooga police officers had helped warn and evacuate residents in the other apartments upon their arrival on Citico Avenue. Power had to be pulled to the building so the American Red Cross is assisting all of the displaced residents from all four units. The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries. Engine 4, Engine 5, Ladder 5, Engine 9, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Engine 1, Squad 13, Ladder 13, Engine 6, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Battalion 3, HCEMS, CPD, CFD Supply, and CFD Investigations responded, along with other second alarm companies. Thanks to our mutual aid partners for providing coverage at our fire halls while our firefighters worked at this location. Green Shift personnel took over on the scene at shift change.

In this case, a nine-year-old girl woke up to the smell of smoke in the home and when she spotted the fire, she placed a rag over her face and went to wake up her father. When she was overwhelmed by smoke, she ran out the front door and went to get help. In the meantime, her father also woke up and realized their home was on fire and escaped. He initially thought his daughter was still inside when firefighters arrived, but everyone soon discovered that she had gone to a nearby family member’s residence seeking assistance. Her bravery and resourcefulness in the face of danger are to be commended. The CFD urges every family to make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes. Develop a home escape plan in the event of a fire and practice it together. Have a meeting place outside of your home like a tree, light post, or mailbox located a safe distance away. Remember to “get out and stay out” because toxic smoke and flames can spread very rapidly. Never go back inside a burning building.