Chattanooga firefighters were out early Thursday morning battling a house fire in the East Lake community. The 911 Communications Center received the first call of the fire at 2:40 a.m. and the Chattanooga Fire Department responded with five fire companies.
Captain David Barie with Engine 9 said flames were shooting out the windows on the second floor of the structure when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. As additional fire companies arrived, the firefighters made an interior attack and managed to contain most of the fire damage to the second floor, though there was smoke and water damage to most of the house. The dollar loss was estimated at around $40,000.
Captain David Thompson Jr, the incident commander, said four adults and one child were in the home at the time. An alert neighbor reportedly knocked on the door and alerted the family that their house was on fire. All got out safely.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide assistance to the family. The cause of the fire is under investigation.