Details are still sketchy on what happened initially, but Captain Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said several people noticed smoke coming from the resident's apartment. When they banged on the front door and got no response, they threw rocks at the bedroom window on the second floor. When they eventually broke the window with one of the rocks, the resident evidently woke up and came out. The same people who woke the 24-year-old man up then carried in portable fire extinguishers and put out most of the fire, which was located in the kitchen.
Chattanooga firefighters arrived moments later and finished putting the fire out. The dollar loss was estimated at $20,000.
The man living in the apartment showed signs of experiencing minor exposure to the smoke. Hamilton County EMS transported the victim to Erlanger East for observation. Other people may have been in the apartment during the fire, but who or how many is not known at this time.
The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. Captain Moore said the fire appears to have been started by food being left unattended on the stove.
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