News Releases

A class of 18 cadets made it through our six-month long fire academy to become the newest members of the Chattanooga Fire Department! These firefighters are the future of our agency and they’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point. They successfully completed Emergency Medical Technician training and learned about all of the different aspects of the fire service. They mastered a number of skills like hazardous materials response, forcible entry, high rise fire operations, vehicle extrication, rope rescues, tactical ventilation, Rapid Intervention Techniques (saving a fellow downed or injured firefighter) and Fire Ground Survival (saving themselves from a fire if they become trapped or disoriented). Our expert instructors have dedicated countless hours to teaching the cadets everything they need to know about the job through many intense, informative and hands-on training evolutions. The class is prepared and ready to respond to emergencies and help members of their community.

All of these new firefighters have expressed how excited they are to serve and protect the citizens of Chattanooga. They are eager to start work in our fire halls and continue learning from veterans in the department. The 2022 Fire Academy was joined by members of our command staff and city government, as well as their family members for their graduation as they were welcomed into the CFD family!

There are new developments in the investigation into the massive fire that heavily damaged the Phillips Chapel and Chauncey-Goode Auditorium in Downtown Chattanooga. The local landmarks were central parts of the former Highland Park Baptist Church and Tennessee Temple University. Chattanooga Fire Department investigators say the blaze was intentionally set and they are looking for a person of interest in the case. Still photos taken from surveillance footage show a man on a bicycle in the area at the time of the fire. The CFD is asking for the public’s help identifying the person seen in the pictures as investigators continue building their arson case. The three-alarm fire sparked a huge response by Chattanooga firefighters and many other agencies, spanning 24 hours and resulting in parts of the buildings being torn down due to fire damage. Companies were called to 1906 Bailey Avenue on Friday, June 10, 2022 at 7:13 PM after a passerby spotted smoke and notified 911. The property is now part of the Redemption to the Nations Church campus. It is located near the corner of Union Ave and South Orchard Knob Avenue. Crews from Station 5 in Highland Park saw the smoke from the fire hall as they were leaving and found heavy, black smoke coming from all four sides of the church, as well as the roof, on arrival. Due to the conditions and size of the structure and adjoining/surrounding buildings, more companies were brought to the scene. Firefighters made entry multiple times to locate the fire and they attacked flames in several locations between the first and third floor. Officials from the church advised that the vacant buildings were structurally unsafe. At that time, everyone was evacuated and defensive firefighting operations got underway. Ladder trucks were placed on all sides of the buildings for elevated master streams to contain the fire and protect adjacent structures. Twenty one of the CFD’s 26 companies were on the scene- more than 100 personnel. It was a very taxing operation for everyone involved. Our Tri-State Mutual Aid Association partners from across the region filled in at our fire halls and answered calls while the CFD worked this major incident. In addition to our Blue Shift personnel on the scene and members of our command staff, the following agencies also responded: Hamilton County 911’s Incident Dispatch Unit, Hamilton County EMS, CPD, Public Works, Tennessee American Water, CFD’s Fleet Division, CFD’s Investigations Division, CFD Special Operations, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue’s Rehab Unit, Chattanooga Land Development Office, city building inspectors and the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management. There were no injuries.

Investigators have worked tirelessly on this case, piecing information and evidence together. The staff from the Redemption to the Nations Church has been extremely helpful throughout this process, assisting the CFD along the way and we appreciate their efforts to aid investigators. We also thank the Chattanooga Police Department, TBI, and ATF for their assistance. We have heard from many people who have shared their memories from events held at these well-known Chattanooga structures through the years. Thousands have attended church services, meetings, weddings and graduations there. The CFD is dedicated to bringing this case to a close and finding who was responsible for setting the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call the Tennessee Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017. A cash award of up to $5,000 is available for tips that lead to an arrest.

The CFD's Investigations Division has made an arrest in connection with a recent house fire. Van Keith III, 43, of Chattanooga, has been charged with aggravated arson stemming from a fire at a home on Allin Street. He is accused of setting a fire in the residential structure, which was occupied at the time. He then fled the scene while the house was burning. Investigators quickly identified Keith as the suspect and he was arrested. He is also charged with aggravated assault. On June 3, 2022, firefighters were called to a home in the 2100 block of Allin Street off Dodson Avenue at 5:45 AM. They found smoke coming from the windows, as well as the front and back door of the residence. Crews initiated an offensive attack and got the fire out quickly. There was damage to the kitchen and front living area and smoke damage throughout the home. Neighbors called 911 to report the fire. One injured woman was transported to the hospital from the scene.

The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to an explosion from an underground transformer at Broad Street and Aquarium Way Tuesday night, causing power outages downtown. Firefighters were called to the 200 block of Broad Street at 8:17 PM. Flames and sparks were coming out of the ground through grates. Because it was electrical in nature, firefighters used several dry chemical extinguishers to suppress the fire until the power was cut to the transformers. Once power was cut, more dry chemical extinguishers were used to fully extinguish the fire. Then water was used to cool everything down so that EPB could assess the damage. As a result of this incident, power was cut to a significant area around where this occurred. There was no other damage or injuries. This impacted traffic lights so the public was asked to avoid the area if possible. EPB had to wait for the transformer to cool off to start working on it. Crews worked as quickly as possible to address this matter, working through the night and into Wednesday morning to restore power.

EPB Statement Tuesday night:

* Parts of downtown Chattanooga in the blocks surrounding Broad Street and Aquarium Way are without power and fiber optic services following a fire in an underground electrical vault that was first reported after 8 pm on Tuesday.

* The Fire Department reports that the fire has been extinguished, but initial assessments indicate that the vault may not be cool enough to allow EPB to begin repair work on the damaged vault until tomorrow morning (Wednesday, June 15).

* EPB crews are on the scene to ensure safety. They have already begun work at undamaged electrical vaults that will contribute to more rapid restoration once the damaged vault is accessible.

* About 500 customers are impacted by the outages. EPB is notifying these customers and will provide them with more information as repairs progress.

* EPB does not currently have any information about the cause of the fire.