Chattanooga firefighters responded again to the abandoned Gateway Motel just before the East Ridge tunnels on Sunday morning. It was the second day in a row a fire broke out at the same location on the side of Missionary Ridge.
Interestingly, the fire was reported by one of Chattanooga's fire companies that was responding to a house fire on 7th Avenue. Several other drivers also reported the blaze just before 10 a.m.
When fire crews arrived on the scene this time, they found a different fire. Instead of the brush fire they fought Saturday, they found that this time the motel itself was on fire. A second alarm was called, putting a total of 12 fire companies on the scene.
Fire crews quickly laid water supply lines, set up aerial master streams, and utilized handlines to fight the fire. The fire took roughly an hour to get under control.
As a result of the building fire, a relatively small amount of brush also caught fire, and firefighters again had to strategically place crews on the Westside and S. Crest portions of the ridge with handlines to fight the hotspots.
Authorities advised that this does not appear to be a "rekindle" from Saturday's fire, but it is being investigated further since it is unusual to have two fires at the same location within 24 hours.
The structure was only minorly involved on Saturday. Though several units of the abandoned motel were involved Sunday morning, a fire loss is not being carried on the incident at this time due to the condition of the structure prior to the fire.
Chattanooga building inspectors were called in to determine the safety of the structure and advise on whether it should be demolished.
No injuries were reported.
Several other agencies were called to assist, including the East Ridge Fire Department, the Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Emergency Management Services and Hamilton County Rehab.
- Photo2 by Bill Carson, www.carsonphotos.net