01-25-2013 Careless Smoking Believed Cause of Apartment Fire

The firefighters located the fire in an upstairs bedroom and they extinguished it quickly. The rest of the apartment sustained smoke and water damage. The other apartment units in the Chattanooga Housing Authority building were spared from any fire damage. No injuries were reported.

The fire displaced two adults. Lt. Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental, most likely from an improperly discarded cigarette on or near a bed. The dollar loss was estimated at $25,000. Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide assistance to the two residents. Chattanooga police, Hamilton County EMS and EPB provided assistance on the scene.

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