02-27-2012 Fire at Mountain Creek Apartments Ruled Accidental

Careless smoking appears to be the cause of this afternoon's fire at Mountain Creek Apartments that left dozens of residents homeless. The fire was discovered shortly before 3:00 this afternoon by maintenance workers with the apartment complex. They told firefighters that they saw smoke and flames coming from the balcony of an apartment on the third floor. They tried to put the fire out with portable fire extinguishers, but the flames were too intense, so they backed off and activated a pull alarm.

The Chattanooga Fire Department responded with six fire companies. As Quint 17 approached the complex at 936 Mountain Creek Road, they could see thick, black smoke rising from the complex, so a second alarm response was requested, which prompted 12 fire companies to respond.

Once on the scene, the firefighters made sure the entire building was evacuated. While some firefighters worked to get the blaze under control, others carried pet dogs, cats and birds out to their grateful owners. No injuries were reported among the residents, but two firefighters were transported by Hamilton County EMS to Erlanger Medical Center for symptoms related to heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. Both were treated and released.

The flames had penetrated into the walls and roof, making it difficult for the firefighters to get the fire out. In an effort to prevent the flames from destroying the entire building, the firefighters used power saws to make a "trench cut" in the roof. The resulting hole in the roof allowed the firefighters access to the flames in the roof, enabling them to head off the flames and – in about an hour – get the blaze under control. It would take them another hour or two to put out most of the hot spots.

Lieutenant Andrew Waters with the Fire Investigation Division said improperly discarded cigarettes on or near the balcony of an apartment on the third floor was the likely cause of the fire. Lt. Waters said six apartment units had significant damage. He said two had substantial fire damage, two had water damage and two others had smoke damage. The rest of the apartment units were saved.

Since the wiring in the building was also damaged by the fire, electrical service had to be disconnected to the entire building, which meant up to 40 residents would have to find another place to stay. A team of volunteers with the American Red Cross responded to the scene to help the fire victims. They were planning to set up a temporary shelter if enough residents needed overnight accommodations.

Chattanooga police and Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue also provided valuable assistance on the scene.

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