Fire raced through a large, two-story house in St. Elmo Thursday night. The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 6:38 p.m. and responded with several fire companies to 5400 Glenn Falls.
Captain David Thompson, Jr., the incident commander, said the entire house was engulfed in flames as firefighters responded from several area fire stations.
The firefighting operation was complicated by the house’s location. The house is on a hill and can only be accessed by a narrow, steep road, which kept the fire apparatus from getting very close. It took the firefighters a full hour to get most of the fire extinguished. They will likely remain on the scene for several more hours putting out hot spots. No injuries were reported.
Neighbors said the house had just become vacant recently. An estimate on the dollar loss was not available. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Chattanooga police, Hamilton County EMS and EPB also provided assistance on the scene.