The Chattanooga Fire Department battled a deadly second alarm house fire on Wilcox Boulevard for more than eight hours on Sunday.
A passerby called it in at 4:42 AM and reported seeing flames coming from the home in the 3400 block, located near the intersection of Wilcox Boulevard and Tunnel Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived on scene, heavy fire was coming from the back of the structure.
They tried to do a search, but fire conditions worsened so everyone was pulled out of the house for safety reasons and operations shifted to a defensive attack.
A second search was attempted but again, things were too dangerous so crews were removed from the interior.
The entire back side of the house was consumed with flames and the fire ran across the second floor.
One resident and two dogs escaped safely, but another resident was trapped inside and unaccounted for.
Sadly, the missing resident’s body was eventually located in his bedroom. Their identity is not being released at this time. CFD offers sincere condolences to victim’s family.
The house was unsafe to enter due to the structure being weakened by fire and water from fire trucks.
Engine 15, Engine 4, Squad and Ladder 13, Quint 8, Squad 7, Engine and Ladder 5, Quint 10, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, Battalion 3 (Blue shift), Rehab, HCEMS, CPD and EPB responded. Green shift crews took over the scene at shift change.
The home is considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Officials believe it started near the back of the house.
Mutual Aid provided fire coverage while our crews were on Wilcox Blvd. The American Red Cross is assisting the resident who escaped the blaze.
Our firefighters helped the surviving fire victim to safely go through rubble to get family heirlooms and other personal items before the structure was knocked down due to all of the damage. It allowed crews to make sure everything was fully extinguished, including hot spots.
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