Fire quickly destroyed a garage in East Ridge on Sunday morning. And the occupant of the garage was arrested.
The East Ridge Fire Department was dispatched to a possible garage fire at 1609 John Ross Road at the corner of Cherokee Avenue at 10:35 a.m.
When the first engine company arrived on the scene, it reported heavy involvement with fire already through the roof. Several hand lines were pulled for initial attacks, but fire crews quickly switched to a larger master stream.
Additional engine companies arrived on the scene within minutes.
However, the garage was already so involved that it was collapsing as firefighters were attempting to gain control. Water supplies from several nearby fire hydrants enabled firefighters to dump a large quantity of water on the blaze very quickly, but it was not enough. The flames had ripped through the structure, leaving only the burnt remains charred on the ground.
No one was in the structure when the fire broke out, contrary to initial reports.
East Ridge firefighters were able to keep the fire from damaging a nearby house. It took crews roughly 45 minutes to extinguish the fire.
The garage and all of the contents were a total loss.
East Ridge Fire and Police Chief Eddie Phillips said the garage had kerosene, gasoline and tires stored inside and neighbors said the fire spread very quickly.
He said there were initial reports of possibly a homeless party staying in the garage, and firefighters spent several hours sifting through the debris to make sure no one was inside and to determine the cause of the fire.
During the initial investigation fire and police investigators learned that
the occupant, Stephen Ellis, 47, was on house arrest and that there
were also outstanding warrants for him out of East Ridge City Court and the city of Cleveland, Tn.
East Ridge Police arrested Ellis and transported him to the Hamilton County Jail.
Fire/Arson Investigator Commander Mike Williams is investigating the cause of the fire and it is listed as
undetermined at this time.
East Ridge Fire Rescue responded with three engine companies, one ladder company and two rescue/support units. The Hamilton County Rescue Squad also assisted with a Rehab unit.