News Releases

The Chattanooga Fire Department had a busy morning on Veterans Day, including a residential fire in East Brainerd.

It happened at 9 AM in the 1100 block of Greens Road, not far off East Brainerd Road.

Responding units reported seeing heavy smoke in the area as they got close to the scene.

Quint 21 arrived first and confirmed that they were dealing with a residential structure fire.

Initially, it was unclear if anyone was inside the home so a second alarm was called and additional units staged at Fire Station 21.

An interior attack was launched and Ladder 7 laid a supply line for water. Crews used two interior attack lines to fight the fire and holes were cut in the roof to improve interior visibility.

A primary and secondary search was conducted simultaneously with firefighting operations and it was confirmed that no one was inside the structure. The fire was out in twenty minutes.

Second alarm companies that were on standby returned to service.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries. There is extensive smoke, water and fire damage throughout the home.

CFD had multiple calls going at the time of this incident, but everyone worked together to provide an efficient response to all of the emergencies.

Engine 15, Engine 5, Ladder 13, Ladder 7, Quint 21, Squad 13, Squad 7, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, EPB, HCEMS, CPD, CFD Investigations, CFD Supply and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue’s Support Services Unit were on the scene on Greens Road.

Greens Road fire

Extra manpower had to be called to the scene of a fire CFD worked off of Shallowford Road on Thursday afternoon.

The call came in at 1:16 PM with reports of a burning structure on Grider Way, located near Grace Baptist Academy.

Quint 21 was first on the scene and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the building, but they were informed that everyone was out of the structure.

Flames spread through the attic area and quickly tore through the rest of the house. Visibility was very poor as an interior attack was launched.

More crews responded to the fire due to the size of the structure. Firefighters took turns rotating in and out as they fought the fire in an effort to prevent heat exhaustion.

The roof was ventilated to aid in visibility. Crews continued battling the blaze and it was marked under control at 2:20 PM. Companies remained on scene to make sure everything was fully extinguished.

No one was injured. The cause is under investigation.

Quint 6, Quint 7, Squad 7, Quint 8, Quint 21, Squad 13, Ladder 13, Ladder 19, Engine 4, Car 44, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, HCEMS, EPB, CFD Supply, CPD, CFD Investigations, and Chattanooga-Hamilton Rescue’s Support Services Unit responded.

Grider Way fire pic

The Chattanooga Fire Department and other local public safety agencies are doing what they can to help a fellow first responder and his family. Battalion Chief David Thompson Jr.’s daughter, Makayla, 22, has special needs. Her family is attempting to buy a van for Makayla, who has been in a wheelchair her whole life.

David and his family have always had to make transportation arrangements with a manual wheelchair, instead of her electric wheelchair, which increases her mobility. When the family is able to get a van for her, she will be able to go everywhere with her electric wheelchair and have the independence to drive herself to stores, parks, medical appointments and other places. It has special modifications for her wheelchair to be rolled in and locked down.

The following link is the GoFundMe page for Makayla’s dream car: http://gofundme.com/makaylas-dream-car.

There will also be a BBQ sale open to the public with 100% of the proceeds going to help with the purchase of the van. It will be on Saturday, November 14th from 11 AM to 6 PM at 6216 Perimeter Drive. BBQ will also be sold by-the-pound. It is preferred for people to pre-order plates and by-the-pound meat by Thursday, November 12th, as quantities will be limited the day of.

You can get pulled BBQ pork or chicken sandwiches with coleslaw, chips, cookies and a water for $10 per plate. Meat is also available by the pound (pork or chicken) for $10 per pound. Everyone involved in the BBQ sale will be practicing social distancing and following CDC guidelines. All plates of meat will be delivered to vehicles by volunteers wearing masks and gloves. Please wear a mask and stay in your vehicle when picking up food. Again, it’s strongly recommended that you preorder food. Preorders can be sent to: Kaylasvan2020@gmail.com.

If you are able to take part in this fundraising effort, it will help the Thompson family reach this great goal! It’s an opportunity for Makayla to experience life in a little better way. Thanks in advance!

Makayla

Chattanooga firefighters made a quick attack on a house fire Friday night that left a resident with burns and killed several pets.

Units were called to 2011 Camden Street at 6:50 PM after a passerby reported seeing fire in a window.

When crews arrived on the scene, flames had spread to half the home and it was fully involved with heavy fire coming from the front of the residence.

Everyone was out of the house except for the pets.

Firefighters tackled the fire from the exterior and eventually, they were able to make entry on the side of the home. They worked to get the fire under control and focused on hot spots until everything was fully extinguished.

One of the residents suffered second degree burns to their left foot and was transported to the hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, three dogs and one cat perished in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Engine 4, Engine 5, Ladder 5, Quint 10, Squad 1, Battalion 1, Battalion 3 (Red Shift), HCEMS, EPB and CPD, CFD Supply, CFD Investigations Division and McKamey Animal Center responded. McKamey assisted with recovery of the animals.

Camden St house fire

The Chattanooga Fire Department battled a deadly second alarm house fire on Wilcox Boulevard for more than eight hours on Sunday.

A passerby called it in at 4:42 AM and reported seeing flames coming from the home in the 3400 block, located near the intersection of Wilcox Boulevard and Tunnel Boulevard.

When firefighters arrived on scene, heavy fire was coming from the back of the structure.

They tried to do a search, but fire conditions worsened so everyone was pulled out of the house for safety reasons and operations shifted to a defensive attack.

A second search was attempted but again, things were too dangerous so crews were removed from the interior.

The entire back side of the house was consumed with flames and the fire ran across the second floor.

One resident and two dogs escaped safely, but another resident was trapped inside and unaccounted for.

Sadly, the missing resident’s body was eventually located in his bedroom. Their identity is not being released at this time. CFD offers sincere condolences to victim’s family.

The house was unsafe to enter due to the structure being weakened by fire and water from fire trucks.

Engine 15, Engine 4, Squad and Ladder 13, Quint 8, Squad 7, Engine and Ladder 5, Quint 10, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Battalion 3 (Blue shift), Rehab, HCEMS, CPD and EPB responded. Green shift crews took over the scene at shift change.

The home is considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Officials believe it started near the back of the house.

Mutual Aid provided fire coverage while our crews were on Wilcox Blvd. The American Red Cross is assisting the resident who escaped the blaze.

Our firefighters helped the surviving fire victim to safely go through rubble to get family heirlooms and other personal items before the structure was knocked down due to all of the damage. It allowed crews to make sure everything was fully extinguished, including hot spots.

Wilcox fatal fire