It was a very close call for an East Lake family when fire broke out in their home early Monday afternoon. Melissa Buckner told firefighters that she was in the kitchen and went to check on her three children in the back bedroom. When she got there, she saw smoke and flames and immediately got her children out.
Ms. Buckner said she called out for her fiancé, Justin Parker, who was just outside the back of the house. Mr. Parker saw the fire in the bedroom and ran to fill a bucket with water. By the time he returned to the bedroom, the entire room was engulfed in flames. He threw the bucket of water on the flames, but it was useless, so he got out of the house.
A neighbor was reportedly the first to call 911. The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 12:22 p.m. and responded to 4908 14th Avenue with four fire companies.
Captain Travis Williams with Engine 9 said flames were already shooting through the roof when the first firefighters arrived on the scene.
The firefighters eventually got the blaze under control, but the damage was extensive.
One of the three children, a one-year-old boy, was transported by Hamilton County EMS to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital. The boy was treated for a second-degree burn to one leg and was expected to be released in a few hours.
The family had several pet dogs. One of them, a Chihuahua, perished in the blaze.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation. The loss was estimated at $70,000 for the building and its contents.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called to the scene to provide assistance to the family.
Senior Firefighter Matt Long (holding the nozzle) and Senior Firefighter Mack Ridge put out the remaining hot spots.