The Harrison home of Sam Woolwine, the director of the Chattanooga Golf Classic, was destroyed by fire on Wednesday afternoon.
The Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire at 6327 Buck Trail Dr. in the Deerwood Subdivision. As the first truck and crew arrived on the scene, firefighters said the home was totally engulfed in flames.
The firefighters employed their new ladder truck to attack the flames from high above the home. Capt. Mark Hutchings said firefighters were told that no one was at home at the time, so they began “defensive measures” to fight the fire.
Mr. Woolwine, a former sports editor at the Chattanooga News Free Press, said he was grateful that no one was home and that there were no injuries. However, he said he was devastated at the loss of a valuable and extensive sports memorabilia collection and records of sports stories that he covered over the years. Among those items were autographed papers of sports notables like the late Reggie White.
The home was totally destroyed. The American Red Cross Disaster Action Team responded to assist Mr. Woolwine with his immediate needs of clothing and medications.