Chattanooga firefighters responded to a structure fire at 1331 Stratton Place Dr. in East Brainerd around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Captain Kevin Carpenter with Quint 21 said flames were shooting out an open garage door when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. Capt. Carpenter said all of the occupants had safely made it out of the house, which had been divided into a duplex.
Battalion Chief Ben Biggs said the firefighters were able to contain most of the fire damage to the attached garage, but there was some damage to other parts of the house. An estimate on the dollar loss was around $80,000.
The cause has been ruled accidental. Lt. Andrew Waters with the Fire Investigation Division believes the fire was most likely started by an electrical malfunction. The investigation on the exact cause will continue.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide assistance to the two families.