News Releases

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- A young woman was seriously injured tonight when she fell approximately 30 feet from a bluff at the the Greenway Farms quarry in Hixson. Some kayakers were paddling in the quarry shortly after 8:00 p.m.when they saw the woman fall to the ground below. They immediately went over to the victim and called 911.

The Chattanooga Fire Department responded, along with the Chattanooga Police Department and Hamilton County EMS. When the firefighters reached the victim, Battalion Chief Don Bowman said the firefighters placed her in a rescue basket to secure her. Then they had to carry her about 100 yards up a steep embankment, and then another 100 yards to a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The patient was then transported to a waiting ambulance, which rushed her to Erlanger Medical Center.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- The cause of yesterday's fire at Bayberry Apartments has been ruled accidental. The fire started in Apartment 108, and the resident told fire investigators that she left a candle unattended in one of her child's bedrooms. Investigators are still working to confirm it was a candle that started the fire, but they do think the cause was accidental. Captain David Brooks estimated the dollar loss at $50,000 to apartments 108 and 110. In containing the fire to two units, the firefighters saved the rest of the building, which has a total of 12 apartment units valued at $640,000.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- No injuries were reported in connection with an apartment fire this afternoon. The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm around 1:30 this afternoon and responded with six fire companies to Bayberry Apartments at 2300 Windsor Street. Ronald Boyd, who lives nearby, was one of the first to spot the flames and ran to the two-story apartment building to alert the occupants. Officer Michael Favors with the Chattanooga Police Department also assisted in alerting the occupants. All got out safely.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- The victim who died June 15, 2017 in the house fire on Durham Drive has been identified as Johnnye McDavid. She was 83. The Hamilton County Medical Examiner's Office says the victim died from smoke inhalation. McDavid's death is the third fire-related fatality so far this year in Chattanooga. Her husband, Charles McDavid, was treated and released from a local hospital for minor burns.

The cause of this fatal fire has been ruled accidental. The lead fire investigator says the fire appears to have been sparked by an electrical malfunction.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- The investigation continues into last night's fire in the 1200 block of Durham Drive that claimed the life of an elderly woman. The lead fire investigator says the cause of the fire appears to be accidental, but what exactly sparked the deadly blaze remains undetermined. The victims's husband, who tried to put the fire out himself, was treated and released from a local hospital last night for some burns to his head, arms and hands. The names of the two victims are still being withheld until all next-of-kin have been located and notified.

2 5