News Releases

A house fire in East Lake was possibly caused by a man welding in his garage.

It happened around 2:40 PM Thursday in the 3000 block of 6th Avenue.

Engine 9 arrived on scene and saw heavy fire and smoke coming from the garage, which is attached to the rear of the home.

The residents were outside when firefighters arrived.

Responding crews had the fire under control in a matter of minutes and stopped it from spreading to the house.

Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Engine 9, Engine 5, Ladder 5, Ladder 1, Engine 15 and Squad 1 responded. There were no injuries.

Chattanooga firefighters are being commended for a well-executed response to a fire on Fairview Avenue Saturday night.

It happened at 8:43 PM at the United Steelworkers Local 15120 building at 1109 Fairview Ave.

The union hall is on the bottom floor and a shared living space with several tenants is located upstairs.

When crews arrived, all of the occupants were out of the building and there was smoke coming from the roof.

Firefighters made entry and went up the stairs where flames were visible from the kitchen area.

They started an interior attack and made progress and then noticed that the room adjacent to the kitchen also had flames coming from the ceiling so they started attacking that room as well.

They got the fire pushed down a bit and Squad 1 began an interior search.

No one was found inside.

Crews got the fire out and conducted salvage and overhaul, trying to preserve residents’ belongings.

Firefighters also checked the roof and made sure it was structurally sound.

There were no injuries.

The Red Cross is assisting three adults.

The upstairs kitchen and adjoining room sustained damage and there was water damage to the downstairs area below it.

Seven CFD companies responded to the scene as well as CPD, EPB and EMS.

Cpt. Vernon Horn told members of the media on the scene that firefighters worked efficiently and effectively.

“Everyone knew exactly what to do. We were quick and methodical and it was a job well done,” he stated.

Investigators believe the cause of the fire was unattended food left on the stove.

Several of our firefighters were promoted over the past week, advancing their careers and moving the agency forward.

Bryan Keene and Richard Pershey both became lieutenants with a ceremony and breakfast at Station 3 on Wednesday.

Fire Chief Phil Hyman recognized Lt. Keene for being passionate about his job and always being willing to teach others.

“Don’t stop here. There’s more room for you to grow in this department,” the chief added.

Lt. Pershey has always been proactive and willing to learn, the chief said.

“You’re a go-to firefighter and you’ve helped put this department on the trajectory we need to be on,” the chief told him.

Members of the command staff thanked both new lieutenants for their hard work and told them that there are more steps ahead of them in their careers.

Next, Jim Keil accepted the position of Firefighter Engineer, a well-deserved promotion, CFD leaders said.

“You’re skilled and more than ready to step into this role. You’re respected by your crew and I’m proud of you. Keep going,” Chief Hyman said.

David Cowden made Captain and he was joined by his family and crew at Station 21 for the occasion.

“You’ve been an excellent leader everywhere you’ve landed and I’m happy to see this for you,” Chief Hyman told Cowden. “This is an important position in the department and we appreciate what you’ve done to this point. We know you’ll continue to guide your fellow firefighters.”

Members of the command staff encouraged Cowden to continue being a caring leader who others can turn to as a resource.

Shane Patterson was promoted to captain last week.

“You truly care about this job. You’ve done incredible work as a lieutenant and throughout your career. You have an excellent reputation and you’re well suited for captain,” Chief Phil Hyman told Patterson. “You also have a natural leadership ability. I’m very proud of you.”

Fellow firefighters commended Patterson for his exemplary service and attitude, calling him an inspiration and a dependable coworker.

We also want to congratulate Terry Knowles on his promotion to Battalion Chief!

Terry’s family and fellow firefighters joined him at Station 1 last week to wish him well in this new role as a chief officer.

“I’ve watched your career advance and I’ve always been impressed with your leadership and professionalism,” Chief Phil Hyman told him. “This is a critical position in the department with admin and operations duties and I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll do extremely well.”

Members of the command staff commended Knowles for always being willing to step up and take on more responsibilities in order to help the department, proving his abilities time and time again throughout his 15 years with CFD.

Congrats to this great group!

Chattanooga firefighters made a tremendous stop on a fire inside a trailer Tuesday, keeping it from spreading to the rest of the residents’ trailer.

It happened at 1:20 PM on Cassie Lane in Hixson at the Riverglen Mobile Home Community.

When crews arrived on scene, they found a mattress on fire in a back bedroom.

They worked quickly and kept the flames contained to the bedroom.

One of the residents was using an oxygen tank, so extra precautions were taken to keep firefighters safe on the scene. The resident tried to put the fire out with his hand and suffered minor burns. He was treated at the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Red Cross is assisting three impacted residents.

Units from Stations 16, 19, and 22 were on scene, along with EPB and Hamilton County EMS and Battalions 1 and 3.

As firefighters were cleaning up at the Hixson scene, other crews were responding to a call in Lookout Valley.

Just after 2 PM, CFD went to Lookout Lake Rd off Browns Ferry Road on a smoke investigation.

Once in the area, units saw heavy smoke and found an unoccupied, secluded structure on fire in the woods.

It is believed to be someone’s art studio. No one was there at the time of the fire.

Firefighters faced a muddy climb to get to the structure because they could not access it with fire trucks and a strenuous firefighting operation got underway.

The scene was about 100 yards off a gravel road so they stretched and extended hose lines up the hill to extinguish the fire.

There is extensive damage to the building, but there were no injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Units on scene included: Battalions 1 and 2, Squad 1, Squad 20, Ladder 5, Ladder 1, Quint 14, Quint 3, Hamilton County EMS and EPB.

We appreciate the assistance from Red Bank FD and East Ridge FD to provide mutual aid for fire protection.

Photo from Hixson fire scene:

Photo from Lookout Valley scene: