Small Fire Forces Partial Evacuation At Erlanger Medical Center

They could see smoke coming from an electrical utility room, so nurses and other support staff went room-to-room, moving ten patients quickly to another wing, which was separated from the smoke by fire-rated doors.

Meantime, Erlanger maintenance workers located the electrical equipment involved in the small fire and moved it to another room where it could be isolated. The fire was already out, but noxious smoke filled that wing on the 9th floor.

When Chattanooga firefighters arrived, they brought in high-powered fans to begin ventilating the floor, which was expected to take a few hours to complete. Captain Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division was able to quickly confirm that the cause of the fire appeared to be accidental, most likely from a malfunction with some of the equipment in the electrical room. Captain Moore said the dollar loss was estimated at around $5,000.

Captain Howard Baker with Quint 2 was very complimentary of the Erlanger staff involved in the incident. "They reacted very quickly and efficiently in moving those patients," said Captain Baker. "The smoke was pretty intense early on, so there's no doubt they prevented injuries by getting those patients out so fast."