Volunteer firefighters on Saturday night quickly put out a business fire at Sale Creek that threatened to get much worse, authorities said.
At 5:30 p.m., a motorist called 9-1-1 reporting smoke from Breezin Metal Works at 15425 Dayton Pike.
The Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department arrived in minutes reporting heavy smoke coming from the roof and the doors. The Sale Creek unit immediately requested mutual aid to assist them with the fire.
The Sequoyah Volunteer Fire Department and the Soddy-Daisy Fire Department responded with additional manpower and apparatus.
The firefighters conducted a search in the 16,000-square-foot building and found the fire concentrated in a 900-square-foot old cooler. The firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and alleviate the fire from spreading throughout the entire roof line or the rest of the building.
The building used to be an old creamery that made ice cream for McDonald Farms.
Chuck Lambert, owner of Breezin Metal Works, said the business is operational Mondays through Thursdays only. Mr. Lambert said he came by about 2:30 p.m. to get the mail and make a few phone calls. He said he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Breezin Metal Works builds metal gates, fences, handrails, etc.
Fire officials reported no injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but officials said the fire started in the cooler area.
Damages are estimated at $75,000.
The Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department was also assisted by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue Squad, Hamilton County EMS and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department.