Chattanooga firefighters rushed to the scene of a house fire Wednesday afternoon in the Brainerd area.
Martha Thomas, 73, said she heard a noise toward the rear of the house, and when she opened the door to a utility room, flames were visible around a gas-fired water heater.
Ms. Thomas said she first tried pouring a pan of water on the fire, and when that failed, she said she called a friend, who told her to hang up and call 9-1-1.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 1:44 p.m. and responded to 825 Woodmore Lane with several fire companies.
Battalion Chief Winston Shields said flames were already coming through the roof when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. “Even with fire coming through the roof, the firefighters did a great job of saving several rooms in the house,” said Chief Shields.
The dollar loss was estimated at around $75,000. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental. Captain Craig Haney with the Fire Investigation Division said the fire was most likely caused by combustibles being placed too close to the water heater. Captain Haney said a good rule of thumb is to keep anything that will burn at least three feet away from water heaters and any other heating appliances.