3-16-21, 3-17-21 Firefighters Work Hectic Shift

It was a very busy start to the day for Chattanooga firefighters working a 24-hour shift. On Tuesday morning, crews were on the scene of two structure fires in different parts of the city.

First, the CFD was called to the 3900 block of Bowman Lane (off Highway 58) at 7:07 AM following reports that a camper next to a home was on fire. CFD Operations Chief Rick Boatwright was first on the scene and found a camper engulfed in flames in the driveway next to a duplex. The occupant was out of the camper. She was able to grab one of her dogs as she escaped, but four other dogs have not been accounted for at this time. The woman suffered minor burns as she was trying to save her pets. Chief Boatwright assisted the residents out of the duplex as responding companies set up firefighting operations. The fire was difficult to reach due to downed live power lines and copious amounts of items piled around the camper. The fire was contained to a relatively small area. There was no significant damage to the duplex or the vehicles in the driveway. The American Red Cross was notified to assist the occupants of the duplex, as well as the occupant of the camper, who declined transport to the hospital for her burns. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Ladder 7, Squad 7, Quint 6, Quint 8, Engine 4, Battalion 2 (Green Shift), CFD Investigations, CFD Supply, CFD’s Operations Chief, CPD and HCEMS responded.

Then at 8:17 AM, as work was still being done on Bowman Lane, another residential fire was reported at 4604 Highland Avenue at the corner of W 46^th Street. A neighbor called 911 and said black smoke was coming out of a home across the street. Engine 9 and Engine 14 attacked the fire as Squad 1 conducted a search and Ladder 1 assisted with ventilation. The fire was found at the back of the house, which is currently being remodeled, and the flames were extinguished. A man and his daughter got out of the structure safely, along with their dogs. Firefighters were pictured comforting the pets on the scene. There were no injuries. Investigators determined the cause to be electrical. Ladder 1, Squad1, Quint 14, Engine 9, Quint 1, Battalion 1, Squad 20, Battalion 3 (Green Shift), CPD and HCEMS responded.

But that was just the beginning. At 9:05 PM Tuesday, the Chattanooga Fire Department was called to Jared Jewelers at 2001 Gunbarrel Road. Units responded and reported smoke inside the building so they had to force entry and found a small fire in the shop area where the staff works on jewelry. The fire was extinguished and the building was ventilated. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Ladder 7, Quint 21, Quint 8, Squad 7, Battalion 1, Battalion 2 (Green Shift) and CFD Investigations responded.

In the overnight hours, Green Shift was still at it, working two apartment fires. Around midnight, crews responded to 801 Tunnel Boulevard. Smoke was reported from one of the apartments and when Engine 15 arrived, light smoke was visible. Engine 5 and 15 found fire in the wall. It appears to be electrical. The Red Cross was called for five displaced residents. Then just before 5 AM, companies responded to 3641 Chateau Lane to deal with a room and contents fire in an apartment building. A quick knockdown by Engine 5’s crew contained the fire to that one apartment. An investigator was called because the apartment was vacant. There were no injuries. Engine 5, Ladder 5, Engine 15, Squad 13, Engine 4, Engine 9, Ladder 13, Squad 1, Battalion 1 and Battalion 2 responded. It was a wild 24 hours for Green Shift firefighters and they did great work responding to multiple fires and many other calls!