News Releases

A Hixson family is receiving assistance from the Red Cross after their mobile home was destroyed by a fire Sunday morning, claiming the lives of two of their pets.

CFD was called to the 200 block of Roxbury Circle off Dayton Boulevard around 9:45 AM. Multiple callers reported to 911 that they saw flames coming from the trailer.

The residents told dispatchers that they were all out of the house. Their neighbors were trying to help put the fire out with garden hoses.

Squad 19, Engine 22, Quint 19, Engine 11, Quint 10, Battalion Chiefs 1 & 3, Hamilton County EMS and McKamey Animal Center responded to the scene. Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from the home. An interior attack was made and flames were extinguished by 10:15 AM.

No one was injured, but a dog and cat did not make it out of the structure.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The trailer is considered a total loss due to extensive fire and smoke damage.

The Red Cross is assisting two adults, two children and one remaining pet.

For the second time in recent months, the Chattanooga Fire Department was called to the long-abandoned Standard Coosa Thatcher building after receiving reports of smoke in the area of the old textile mill.

Around 10:30 PM Saturday night, multiple units responded to S Watkins Street and found heavy smoke coming from the top floor of the structure.

Crews spent hours pouring water into the building from the outside because the former plant is unsafe to enter.

Shortly before 2 AM, firefighters were able to put out the remaining bits of fire on the first floor.

Ultimately, it took six units approximately four hours to extinguish the fire due to the dangerous condition of the building.

Responding fire officials believe that the blaze was started by homeless people who made a warming fire inside the vacant structure.

There were no injuries.

Then, only hours after leaving the scene of the fire at the Standard Coosa Thatcher building on South Watkins Street early Sunday morning, the Chattanooga Fire Department was called back to the abandoned structure.

Just after 9 AM Sunday, we received reports of smoke coming from the building.

Crews did an assessment when they got there and an interior attack was conducted to locate source of the fire.

Several small fires were found in the basement next to an elevator shaft that acted as a chimney, pushing smoke through the top floor windows of the old textile mill.

Twenty firefighters worked to extinguish all of the fires which contained rubbish from inside the warehouse (wood, parts of the caved in ceiling, etc.)

No one was found inside the building. No injuries were reported. A fire investigator was called to the scene.

Officials believe the second weekend fire is separate from the blaze firefighters worked Satruday night. 

On December 12, 2019, CFD was called to the old mill and found a stack of pallets and old doors burning on the second floor. Crews worked quickly to get that fire extinguished.

Back in July of 2016, our crews battled a second alarm fire at the textile building. Flames could be seen from miles away. It took 40 firefighters several hours to get the fire contained and a lot longer to get all of the hot spots out.

The Chattanooga Fire Department wants to commend all of our firefighters who responded to a tricky extrication operation that spanned several hours in Hixson.

It happened Tuesday night around 8:30 PM at the Tiger Mart convenience store located at 3504 Hixson Pike.

An employee was found sitting on the floor with her left hand and arm stuck in a cash dispensing safe. She was trying to determine why money wasn’t coming out of the safe so she could get change for customers, but then realized she couldn’t get her hand out. Her fingers were caught in the tumbler on the locking mechanism.

Multiple units arrived on the scene to help the woman and an endoscopic camera was used to get a look at the mechanical parts inside the safe.

Officials spoke with the safe manufacturer to get information on how to take the device apart without causing harm to the patient.

Crews had to dismantle the counter to get to all sides of the safe and they developed several plans to get it open.

As they worked through each plan, it was determined that additional equipment was needed.

Squad 7 was contacted to bring USAR (Urban Search & Rescue) 1 and USAR 2 to the scene. When they arrived, the equipment from those trucks was used to take the safe apart. A wool blanket was placed over the employee to protect her from sparks.

A special saw was utilized to cut through the back of the safe. After the back of the safe was opened, the vending motor was removed and the mechanism was then manipulated. The woman’s fingers were freed after nearly three hours of hard, meticulous work.

She was transported to the hospital to get checked out after her long ordeal. Her hand and fingers were bruised, but there didn’t appear to be any serious injuries.

The companies that responded were Quint 16, Squad 19, Squad 7, USAR 1 and 2, Car 306, Car 44, Battalion 3, and Battalion 2. They were assisted by HCEMS Medic 14 and their supervisors who did patient care while the work was being completed.

Great job to everyone who played a part in this call. Your patience and determination made for a successful rescue! In the days following what happened, the woman at the center of the incident stopped by Station 16 with a card and flowers to personally thank firefighters for all that they did to help her inside the store. The story was covered by local news outlets and even made it to The Today Show. 

CFD was called to a home in the 4000 block of Alabama Avenue just after 1:30 AM Tuesday.

The resident reported smoke in an upstairs bedroom, possibly due to a space heater.

Quint 14 was first on the scene and found heavy smoke coming from the second floor.

An interior attack confirmed that there was a fire in the bedroom. The flames were extinguished in 10 minutes.

There were no injuries. Quint 14, Quint 1, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Squad 20 responded.