No one was home when a fire broke out in a Brainerd house Monday afternoon, but a dog and her two puppies perished in the blaze.
Demetrius Brooks with the Chattanooga Housing Authority said he was driving by the house at 214 Laws Ave. when he noticed a window air conditioner was on fire. Mr. Brooks said he intended to pull the air conditioner away from the house, but the flames were too intense, so he called 9-1-1.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 12:32 p.m. and responded with four fire companies. Captain Frederick Blake and his firefighters with Quint 13 were the first to arrive on the scene. Captain Blake confirmed a window air conditioning unit was on fire, and the flames had engulfed a room in the house that was being used as an office.
The firefighters made a quick interior attack and managed to contain most of the fire damage to one room. There was, however, a lot of smoke and water damage to the rest of the house. The loss was estimated at around $35,000.
The deceased pet dogs were discovered by firefighters shortly after the fire was brought under control.
The residents of the house, Gerald Parham, his wife, and three children, were not home when the fire broke out. Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called to the scene to provide assistance to the victims.
Battalion Chief Winston Shields said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental, most likely from an electrical malfunction.
Chattanooga police, Hamilton County EMS and Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue also provided assistance on the scene.