News Releases

The Chattanooga Fire Department wants to commend Captain Brad Petty (Engine 9, Green Shift) for his actions while off-duty on Saturday. He rushed to render aid to a shooting victim in a terrifying incident on I-24 in Rutherford County. Captain Petty was with his family on the way home from his son’s wrestling tournament when they saw a car swerve off to the side of the interstate. As they got closer, a man jumped out of the car and was frantically waving for someone to stop and help. Brad pulled over and found a young woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was traveling with her siblings and someone shot into their car, a bullet striking her in the back seat. Captain Petty opened her airway and used her brother’s shirt to apply pressure to her wounds. As all of this was happening, Brad’s daughter, a Chattanooga lifeguard, relayed important information to dispatch and provided comfort to the other people in the car.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office told media outlets that the shooting took place after a possible road rage incident on the eastbound side of I-24 near the Interstate 840 exit just before 1 p.m. 

Captain Petty and his daughter provided assistance in a very scary situation. Our firefighters are incredible and always willing to help, no matter what.

“When I saw the panic in that man’s face, I knew I needed to stop and do what I could. I am really proud of how calm my daughter remained and I’m just glad we were in the right place at the right time. I ask for prayers for the victim and her family,” Captain Petty stated.

Investigators later revealed that the incident was a targeted shooting, not road rage as initially thought. Two people have been charged in the case. The victim was listed in critical but stable condition. 

A phenomenal response by Chattanooga firefighters prevented a second alarm fire from spreading through a massive industrial building.

The call came out at 4:30 PM Sunday to the WestRock facility on Compress Street off Manufacturers Road. WestRock makes cardboard boxes- potential fuel for a fire. Responding crews could see a lot of smoke coming from the plant and knew they were dealing with an active fire.

They found heavy flames coming from a hot air fan and exhaust vent. The fire traveled though the structure inside the vent into other parts of the building.

Firefighters made an exterior attack on the fan and the vent and launched an interior attack on the ductwork. They were able to get a portion of the fire knocked down within 15 minutes. From there, they focused on making access to the fire inside the ductwork to ensure that all hot spots were fully extinguished. Multiple companies were on the scene for several hours.

“Everyone did an incredible job when they got on scene and they made a fast attack. I can’t say enough about the efforts by our crews today. This could have been much worse, but they knew what to do and got the job done,” said Battalion Chief Terry Knowles, incident commander.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries. There were several employees who were still inside the building when firefighters arrived. They were working to shut down power to the machinery. They all made it out safely.

Engine 12, Quint 1, Ladder 1, Squad 1, Squad 20, Quint 17, Engine 9, Quint 16, Ladder 5, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Battalion 3 (Green Shift), HCEMS, CPD, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue’s Support Services Unit, Hamilton County 911 IDU responded. Mutual Aid provided coverage at several of our fire halls. We appreciate their help, as well as the assistance we received from WestRock’s personnel.

A fire at a vacant apartment is under investigation. Chattanooga firefighters worked to keep the flames from spreading throughout the entire building on Fisher Avenue.

The call came out at 9:13 PM Wednesday. A 911 caller reported seeing smoke in the area, but was not certain of the address.

Engine 5 located the fire inside an apartment complex at 500 Fisher Ave in the Glenwood community and found flames coming from the upstairs and downstairs of an apartment. They made an aggressive attack and other units provided support, holding the fire to one unit.

One apartment was damaged by fire and there is smoke damage throughout the building. There are several buildings in the complex, which is under renovation. There was no power to the building where the fire happened due to the remodeling. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. There were no injuries.  

Squad 13, Ladder 5, Engine 4, Engine 5, Engine 15, Engine 9, Quint 10, Squad 1, Battalion 1, Battalion 3 (Red Shift), CFD Investigations, CFD Supply, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Support Services Unit, EPB and CPD responded. 

An adult and two children are safe after a fire inside their home on Usher Drive. The Chattanooga Fire Department was called to the 5300 block at 3 PM Tuesday. Quint 14 arrived and found flames coming from the front of the duplex. They launched a defensive attack and once it was safe, searches of the interior were conducted. No one was found.

Crews had the fire under control quickly and the cause is under investigation. The two children were not injured. The adult suffered smoke inhalation but declined to be transported to the hospital.

Ladder 1, Quint 14, Engine 9, Squad 1, Quint 1, Battalion 1, Battalion 3 (Blue Shift), CFD Supply, CFD Investigations, EPB and CPD responded.