Duplex fire creates cold weather challenges

Blue Shift companies worked their second house fire of the night in frigid conditions. At 2:30 AM on 1/17/24, firefighters responded to a home in the 3900 block of Graceland Trail and found heavy fire coming from the structure. All parties were out of the residence. Crews made an interior attack and conducted searches. It appears that the fire started in the basement and moved up to the second floor. When the floors became spongy, defensive operations were launched for safety reasons. CFD personnel remained on the scene several hours later, working to extinguish the fire in different spots. There were no injuries. Several residents were displaced by the fire. Engine 15, Quint 6, Squad 13, Ladder 13, Quint 8, Battalion 1, and Battalion 2 responded, along with CPD and Hamilton County EMS. Hours earlier, firefighters tackled a house fire in the 4100 block of Bonny Oaks Drive.

Update on 1/17/24 at 12:30 PM: The Chattanooga Fire Department has cleared the scene on Graceland Trail after more than nine hours. The home was structurally unsound due to fire damage and the floors were too compromised for firefighters to get inside and fully extinguish the fire. Public Works brought machinery to the scene and tore down the burned duplex due to unsafe conditions. Then crews were able to get the fire out. Several firefighters suffered minor injuries from falling on the icy driveway. Public Works responded with a salt and sand truck to treat the driveway and roadway in order to improve conditions for firefighters operating on the scene. Heaters were brought out for firefighters to keep warm and also to thaw frozen nozzles and hoses. Crews were rotated in and out of their trucks to get warm. Multiple agencies assisted the CFD, including city building inspectors, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau, CPD, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue’s rehab truck, CFD investigators, CFD Supply, and Tennessee American Water to aid with water supply. The cause of the fire is under investigation.