No one was home and no injuries were reported when fire broke out in an East Brainerd home on Thursday afternoon. Fire officials on Friday said they have ruled the cause of the fire as accidental.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 4:29 p.m. and responded with six fire companies to 8018 Karr St.
Battalion Chief Winston Shields said smoke was coming from the roof of the single-story structure when the first firefighters arrived on the scene.
The fire appears to have started in the attic. Despite the extreme heat, Chattanooga firefighters worked quickly and got the blaze under control in roughly 15 minutes.
Chief Shields said the fire damage was contained to the attic, but there was some smoke and water damage to the living room below. Firefighters moved some of the furniture and covered the rest with salvage covers to limit the damage. The loss was estimated at roughly $25,000.
Volunteers with Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue also responded to the scene and helped the firefighters deal with the extreme heat by providing cold drinks and water-misting fans. Hamilton County EMS and Chattanooga Police also provided assistance on the scene.