A man who was pulled from his burning apartment building has passed away from injuries he sustained in the fire.
Hugh Lingerfelt, 83, died yesterday (7/7/20) at 1:55 PM at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Last week, multiple people, including Lingerfelt, were injured in a blaze at the Rustic Village North Apartments on Sunflower Lane.
It happened at 2:30 PM on June 30, prompting rescues by Chattanooga firefighters, police officers and citizens.
When firefighters arrived at the apartment complex, smoke and flames were visible from one of the buildings and residents were trapped on balconies.
Responding Chattanooga police officers and firefighters grabbed ladders to get five people down from balconies.
Good Samaritans rushed to help Lingerfelt, dragging him out of the building. His apartment was where the fire originated.
Firefighters then started searching the building as there were reports of possible entrapment. They did not find anyone trapped inside.
They aggressively attacked the fire and performed a vertical ventilation, cutting holes in the roof to let out heat and smoke inside the structure in order to improve firefighting conditions.
Flames were on both floors of the building and the attic. Crews kept battling the fire. It was deemed under control an hour later at 3:30 PM.
Several apartments sustained significant damage. Two dogs were also rescued.
Six people were transported to the hospital. Five people were treated and released with minor injuries. Lingerfelt was in critical condition. He was transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries a week later.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Chattanooga Fire Department. Our thoughts are with Mr. Lingerfelt’s family and friends in the wake of his death.
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