News Releases

Monday afternoon update on severe weather response:

We have cleared 75-80% of the structures that were in the path of the tornado.

“I want to highlight the amount of work first responders did today. Phenomenal job,” Fire Chief Phil Hyman said.

Seventeen people were transported by Hamilton County EMS to the hospital with injuries.

There were two fatalities (next of kin has been notified for one of the victims, still working to get in touch with the other victim’s relatives)

“Our hearts go out to those families,” Chief Hyman said.

Mayor Andy Berke thanked all of the first responders working long hours and agencies from across TN for reaching out to help.

Officials went up in a helicopter to get a better look at the damage and it appears the impacted area is 1/2 mile wide and 4 miles long.

“There are homes destroyed and that’s devastating to see from sky. The human toll is extremely difficult,” the mayor stated. “We could see first responders on the ground working, bushwhacking and using chain saws to cut through debris to get to areas to survey homes and help people. We are grateful for each and every one of these individuals.”

Folks are asked to stay away from damaged areas. Please don’t come to take pictures and see damage because you are impeding the work of emergency crews.

“We are making progress. The toughest times bring out the best in our people and show the strength of our community,” Mayor Berke added. “This is a tough period coming on the heels of the pandemic issues. We are tough. We will get through this time as well.”

From 8pm-8am, there will be an access enforcement program initiated to limit entry to impacted areas to those who live there.

After the helicopter flight, CFD now thinks there are more than 150 damaged structures, but crews are still assessing the overall destruction.

We have been sending masks, gowns, and eye protection to first responders on the forefront of the storm response.

Chief Hyman thinks Chattanooga is "looking at a number of weeks before we can get back to normal." Volunteer efforts are being coordinated.

The Chattanooga Fire Department continues to respond to the hardest hit areas of the city following the recent round of severe weather.

Most of the damage reports came in around midnight and the destruction is widespread.

There were approximately 17 injuries, the majority of which were trauma-related, and 150 structures were damaged, both residential and commercial.

Currently, East Brainerd is the area of focus.

Active power lines are still down, so officials ask people to please stay off impacted streets.

Right now, the department is moving from a rescue phase into the recovery phase and damage assessment phase to determine if there’s anyone else still in need.

Additional resources from across the state have been brought in to assist our crews, including Strike Teams from Knoxville and Upper Cumberland.

First responders are carefully working their way through each neighborhood.

We have assigned teams to go to specific areas to do detailed searches and evaluations of the aftermath.

We are planning for a 72-hour operation, working closely with all of our partner agencies, including Chattanooga PD.

“Historically, all of these departments and agencies have worked well together. We continue to build on that leadership and those experiences to provide the best response we can,” said Fire Chief Phil Hyman.

The Chattanooga Fire Department is responding to hundreds of calls stemming from severe weather, including damaged structures and houses and reports of people trapped in their homes. We have shifted resources to the East Brainerd area & called in extra, off-duty personnel. Our crews are working to get to these scenes, dealing with downed trees & power lines.

We have firefighters on foot and using ATVs going door to door in different subdivisions, including neighborhoods on Igou Gap Road, Gray Road, and Jenkins Road- just to name a few locations. Several people have been transported with injuries. We are working to get to more than 300 addresses and we are seeing heavy damage.

Our Urban Search and Rescue teams and Special Operations Division are assisting the fire companies on the ground. A unified command post has been set up at the Lowe’s on Gunbarrel Road to coordinate response efforts.

Areas hit have multiple collapses, injuries, trees down, gas leaks, and power lines down. Crews are working as quickly and as efficiently as possible to help those in need while mitigating hazards. This will be a prolonged operation.

We appreciate the assistance of EPB, CPD, Hamilton County EMS, Puckett EMS, Yates Towing & Recovery, Public Works and NABCO Electric.

On Friday morning, the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a fire at 4000 N Hawthorne Street.

At approximately 7:20 AM, W. R. Grace & Company discovered cardboard, plastic packaging and wood pallets on fire.

It spread to the roof of the warehouse and firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.

No chemicals were involved, just the pallets and packaging material. The fire caused some minor roof damage.

There were no injuries and there was no risk to anyone inside or outside the facility.

CFD secured the area. Multiple companies responded to the scene, along with our battalion chiefs and the Special Operations Division.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.