A house was badly damaged by fire in East Brainerd on Saturday night.
At 7:10 p.m., a homeowner called 911 to report a fire at 2281 Red Tail Lane. The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) responded and arrived on the scene within minutes reporting smoke coming from the back of the house.
Firefighters entered the home to find heavy smoke around the fireplace in the back of the home. According to fire officials, the homeowner had started a fire in his fireplace and noticed smoke coming from the television and cabinets located above the fireplace.
He proceeded to open the cabinets and found fire inside. The fire spread quickly into the attic and spread across the roof line. The fire caused significant damage to the house. The amount of damages is unknown at this time.
No injuries were reported but Hamilton County EMS was on the scene for any potential injuries.
Tri-Community requested a mutual aid response for additional manpower. East Ridge Fire Department responded to the scene and Highway 58 VFD was on standby for additional emergency calls in the Tri-Community VFD district.
The cause of the fire will be under investigation by the Tri-Community Fire Marshal's office.