It was a close call for four people when fire raced through their home in Highland Park late Wednesday night, and three suffered serious burns.
Chattanooga firefighters were dispatched to the house fire at 2405 Kirby Ave. around 11:30 p.m.
Battalion Chief Chris Willmore said smoke and flames were visible when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. The firefighters assisted the four adults as they evacuated the house. They then provided oxygen and additional medical care until three ambulances with Hamilton County EMS arrived.
It took the firefighters 20 to 30 minutes to get the blaze under control. Chief Willmore said roughly 50 percent of the structure was destroyed, with the rest of the house damaged by smoke, heat and water. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while fighting the fire.
Three of the four victims have been transferred to an out-of-town burn center. Captain Andrew Waters with the Fire Investigation Division said there were four adults in the house when the fire broke out, including three women and one man. After the victims arrived at Erlanger, medical personnel there determined that the condition of three of the four victims was worse than initially reported, with three of them suffering from significant burns and smoke inhalation. Those three were transferred early this morning to the Wellstar Cobb Hospital in Austell, Ga., which has opened a relatively new burn unit in collaboration with the Joseph M. Burn Center. The names of the victims are being withheld until relatives have been located and notified.
One of the women told firefighters that a smoke alarm woke her up, which enabled her to wake the others up to get out of the house. The loss is estimated at $70,000 for the building and its contents. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This is not the first time Chattanooga firefighters have been to this location, which has been described as a “halfway house.” After a quick check through fire department records, Captain Waters said firefighters have responded to the same location on five other occasions dating back to Oct. 27, 2014. Captain Anthony Moore is assisting with the investigation.