Chattanooga firefighters responded to a second duplex fire in as many days on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters at Station 5 were among the first to discover the blaze at 2213 Chamberlain Ave.
Firefighters with Engine 5 were on their way back to their station on Willow Street at 10:48 a.m. when they spotted black smoke in the distance. At the same time, citizens from the neighborhood knocked on the door at
Station 5, alerting firefighters with Ladder 5 of the fire.
Firefighters with Ladder 5 were the first to arrive on the scene. When informed by a 9-1-1 dispatcher
that someone might still be inside the structure, the firefighters went in through the front door to search
for victims. None were found. By that time, additional fire companies arrived on the scene.
The fire had spread from the rear of the structure to the attic above before finally being extinguished. Battalion Chief Mike Knox said it took roughly 40 minutes to get the blaze under control. No injuries were
reported.
Dale Humphrey, the lone resident in Apt. A, said he was watching TV on his couch when the power was interrupted. When Mr. Humphrey went to the breaker box at the rear of the residence, he discovered the entire box was engulfed in flames. He left his apartment unharmed.
The residents in Apt. B were not home at the time. None of the residents had renter's insurance. Volunteers with the Red Cross were called to the scene to provide assistance to the victims.
Senior Firefighter Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire appears
to accidental, most likely from an electrical malfunction. The loss was estimated at around $27,500.
- Photo2 by Blaine Headrick (See video on Channel 9)