Chattanooga firefighters rushed to two house fires in the same neighborhood on Tuesday.
At 3:24 a.m., firefighters responded to 1801 Citico Ave. Hazel Solomon told firefighters that she woke to the smell of smoke and heard a "popping" noise. She alerted her 33-year-old grandson, who looked around to see what was causing the noise. When he pulled down the attic door, he saw flames and let the spring-activated door quickly close. The two residents got out of the house uninjured.
Chattanooga firefighters were dispatched at 3:24 a.m. and responded with several fire companies. Capt. Chuck McMillian, the incident commander, said flames had broken through the roof when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. The firefighters managed to contain most of the fire damage to the attic and roof area, but there was some smoke and water damage to the living area below.
One firefighter was treated and released from a local hospital for what appeared to be dehydration.
Lt. Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental in nature, though what exactly sparked the blaze remains undetermined. The loss was estimated at around $50,000. Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide assistance to the victims.
Just before noon, a fire was reported at 322 N. Greenwood Ave. Dorothy Lacy told firefighters that she smelled smoke and, when she looked around to investigate, she saw fire coming from inside a wall. Ms. Lacy got out of the house safely and called 911.
Battalion Chief Ben Biggs said the firefighters were able to contain most of the fire damage to the rear of the house. The loss was estimated at $20,000.
Chief Biggs said the cause of the fire will be listed as accidental, most likely from an electrical malfunction.