News Releases

A wreck involving an overturned semi and a tanker truck caused a mess on Interstate 24 early Saturday morning and sent one of the truck drivers to the hospital. Around 6 AM on 10/28/23, members of the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to I-24 EB at mile marker 175 on a two-vehicle accident with an open-top tractor trailer full of trash and a tanker truck transporting canola oil. The truck carrying trash overturned on the bridge, scattering debris all over the eastbound lanes and onto Browns Ferry Road down below it. The driver was taken to the hospital with injuries. The eastbound lanes were shut down for hours and then one lane reopened for traffic. Firefighters stopped a diesel fuel leak from the overturned truck. CFD’s Special Operations Chief and several fire companies were on the scene, along with TDOT and law enforcement. A private company conducted cleanup of the trash and fuel spill. The wreck caused backups all day long on the interstate and other roadways as drivers sought alternate routes.

One person was taken to the hospital Friday morning from the scene of an apartment fire in Chattanooga. At 7:46 AM on 10/20/23, CFD Red Shift companies responded to the Elements of Chattanooga Apartments at 7310 Standifer Gap Road following reports of an apartment on fire in Building 6. Engine 15 arrived on scene to heavy smoke showing from the structure. A quick interior attack by Engine 15 and Ladder 13 personnel located a fire in a second story apartment. The fire was quickly extinguished and two dogs were rescued from the apartment. The only occupant at home when the fire started had exited the structure prior to CFD’s arrival. She was transported to the hospital by HCEMS for smoke inhalation. There were no other injuries. The fire was due to the occupant cooking and then falling asleep. The apartment of origin sustained damage and several other units had water damage. Engine 15, Ladder 13, Squad 13, Quint 6, Engine 4, Squad 7, Engine 4, Quint 10, Squad 19, Battalion 2, Battalion 3, and CFD’s Safety Chief responded. Our Fire Prevention Bureau urges residents to watch what they are heating and never leave cooking unattended. Set a timer as a reminder. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.

Green Shift companies responded to a large scrap metal fire at 2912 South Market Street on Tuesday morning. The call came in at 8:14 AM on 10/17/23 to Gerdau Metals Recycling in Alton Park. Market Street had to be closed for fire hoses to provide a water supply. The initial fire company was dispatched to what 911 thought was a vehicle on fire. Firefighters arrived to find multiple vehicles on fire within a scrap yard and then full commercial response was initiated. Tires, fuel, debris and other material inside the scrap cars fueled the flames. Two excavators picked apart the burning 40-foot tall pile of vehicles and two master streams flowed water. By 11 AM, the fire was out. A cutting torch ignited the blaze when personnel at the business were working in the scrapyard. There were no injuries. Smoke from the fire was highly visible across the area, including Chattanooga, Fort Oglethorpe and beyond. Ladder 1, Quint 1, Squad 1, Quint 14, Ladder 5, Engine 5, Engine 9, Battalion 1, Battalion 3, CFD’s Training Staff, CFD’s Drone Unit, Hamilton County Rehab, CPD, and HCEMS were on this scene.

Chattanooga firefighters battled a large commercial fire Sunday afternoon. At 2:29 PM on 10/15/23, Red Shift companies responded to the 600 block of Hudson Road after 911 started taking numerous reports of billowing black smoke in the area. First arriving units found a vacant building fully engulfed in flames. They established a water supply and set up a master stream, launching a defensive fire attack. The structure was in the process of being demolished and collapsed on itself as it burned. With the master stream and multiple hose lines on the ground, the fire was under control in 30 minutes. Heavy machinery was used on the scene to knock down the remaining wall of the building in order to fully extinguish the blaze. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Quint 17, Quint 1, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Quint 14, Squad 20, Engine 12, Battalion 1, Battalion 3, CFD Supply, CFD Investigations, Dallas Bay’s Rehab Unit, HCEMS and CPD responded.