Fire left a Chattanooga family homeless Monday. Shantelle Cash, 33, said she was in the bathroom Monday morning when she heard someone banging on her front door. A neighbor evidently saw smoke and flames coming from the other side of the duplex, and alerted Ms. Cash in time to get her safely out of the apartment. No injuries were reported.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 8:03 a.m. and responded to 3916 Juniper Street with several fire companies. Captain Chuck McMillian with Quint 6 said a lot of smoke and fire was visible from the rear of the left side of the duplex.
The occupants, Walter and Sherrie Price and their four children, were all away at the time of the fire. Captain McMillian said fire was breaking through the roof as firefighters began to attack the blaze. The firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the left side of the duplex.
The fire caused substantial damage to that apartment and its contents. The Prices said they did have renter’s insurance. The dollar loss was estimated at $100,000. The other side, occupied by Ms. Cash, had minor smoke damage. Her five children were away at school at the time. Red Cross volunteers were called in to provide assistance to the victims.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental. Captain Craig Haney with the Fire Investigation Division said a bed had been moved up against an electric baseboard heater. Captain Haney believes the bed and bed linens were ignited by the heater. He added that combustibles were too close to the baseboard heaters in other rooms in the apartment as well.