News Releases

Members of the Chattanooga Fire Department successfully rescued a man trapped in a sewer pipe during a complicated operation. It took place on Sunday afternoon off of Gunbarrel Road (2300 block).

A homeless man was attempting to take shelter in the confined space when he realized he was stuck and couldn’t get out and called 911 around 4:30 PM. He complained of leg pain. The patient climbed into the sewer through a small 24-inchpipe, crawled approximately 75-100 feet back and then went through a smaller hole and into a junction vault. He was unable or unwilling to climb back out on his own. Attempts were made to access the vault through other manholes, but they were obstructed.

Multiple entries were made by members of the CFD’s Urban Search and Rescue teams to contact the patient who was in and out of consciousness and a rescue plan was developed. The patient was maneuvered past obstructions and pulled through the 100-foot long, 24-inch wide pipe using special rescue equipment and ropes handled by crews outside.

Two hours later, he was recovered and transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Quint 21, Squad 19, Squad 1,Quint 8, Squad 13, Ladder 7, USAR 1, USAR 2, Battalion 1, Battalion 2,Battalion 3 (Blue Shift), CFD Special Operations, CPD and HCEMS responded.

A St. Elmo family is dealing with the aftermath of a devastating house fire that claimed the lives of several of their pets and destroyed more than half of their home. But thankfully, the residents were not injured and firefighters were able to rescue one of their dogs.

It happened at 1:32 PM in the 4000 block of Alabama Avenue. Quint 14 was first on the scene and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the structure.

They established a water supply and started a defensive attack due to the dangerous conditions. Crews also worked to protect neighbors’ houses on both sides.

After the fire was knocked down, they were able to start an interior push to complete a search of the residence and no one was located. The residents were outside and safe.

They continued fire suppression operations and the blaze was brought under control in roughly 10 minutes.

A secondary search was completed and firefighters located multiple deceased pets (cats, dogs, birds). They immediately started working on a surviving dog and got him revived, reuniting him with his owners.

From there, crews focused on hot spots and assisted investigators who will be working to determine what caused the fire. Fire officials estimated that around 60% of the home is a total loss.

Mutual aid provided coverage at several of our fire halls while crews were on the scene. Quint 14, Engine 9, Ladder 5, Quint 3, Squad 1, Squad 13, Battalion 2, Battalion 3 (Red Shift), HCEMS, CPD, McKamey Animal Center, EPB, CFD Supply, CFD Investigations responded.

Members of the Chattanooga Fire Department found flames coming out of a St. Elmo home early Wednesday morning and multiple companies worked together to get the fire out.

It happened at 1:38 AM in the 4200 block of Ohls Avenue. Quint 14 was first to arrive on the scene and reported that they were dealing with a working residential structure fire with flames visible in the windows on three sides of the house.

Initially, they had to use a defensive attack because there was so much fire and black smoke. Once the fire was knocked down, crews were able to enter. They conducted a primary and secondary search and no one was found inside.

It took approximately 45 minutes to get the fire under control. Several residents were home at the time and they all escaped safely. There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Quint 14, Engine 9, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Battalion 1, Battalion 3 (Red Shift) CFD Supply, EPB, HCEMS and CPD responded. The American Red Cross will be assisted the impacted residents.

On January 23rd, the CFD and several other agencies spent hours searching for a lost hiker on Lookout Mountain. Around 9:40 PM, a male party called 911 for help stating that he was hung up in barbed wire and unable to get out. The call disconnected and dispatchers were unable to reach the caller again so they pinged his phone to get a better idea of his location. Crews combed the woods attempting to locate the hiker. Quint 3, Squad 7, Battalion 1, Battalion 2 (Green Shift) and Special Operations Chief Danny Hague were on the scene. After utilizing ground searches, drone searches, the use of scent dogs and an investigation by Chattanooga Police Department, the search was called off at 3 AM Sunday. All units were returned to service. Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service’s Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit assisted with the operation. After an extensive search and multiple interviews, it was determined that the missing party had left the area. Agencies involved: Chattanooga Fire Department, Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County EMA, Hamilton County EMS, Hamilton County STARS, Hamilton County Rescue, Chattanooga Police Department.