No injuries were reported in connection with a house fire in East Brainerd on Sunday afternoon.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 2:58 p.m. and responded to 8558 Pershing Dr. with four fire companies. Captain Marilyn Henry with Quint 21 said smoke and flames were visible on the back side of the house when her fire company arrived on the scene.
Captain Henry said the fire started on the deck, then climbed up the side of the house and got into the attic. Chattanooga firefighters quickly attacked the blaze in the attic, getting the fire under control in roughly 20 minutes. No injuries were reported. Captain Henry said most of the fire damage occurred in the attic and also involved the roof. Most of the living quarters below was saved, but the living room below the attic had some water damage. Captain Henry estimated the loss at around $100,000.
Captain Henry said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental. The owner of the home, Dur French, told firefighters that he smoked his cigarettes on the back deck, and he thought he had completely extinguished one of those cigarette butts before putting it in a plastic trash can on the deck. A short time later, however, a good portion of the deck was on fire.
Captain Henry said Mr. French was still trying to fight the fire with a garden hose when firefighters arrived on the scene.