Underground Fire Closes Several Downtown Streets

  • Sunday, February 7, 2016

An underground fire closed several downtown streets late Saturday afternoon.

At approximately 5:20 p.m., the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a reported fire in a man-hole at the corner of Chestnut Street and W. 8th Street.

When fire companies arrived on the scene, they found black smoke coming from an underground electrical service line. The man-hole cover had been blown off and was lying partially on the man-hole.

Fire Department personnel as well as the Chattanooga Police Department blocked all streets surrounding the incident until the arrival of the Electric Power Board.

Due to the possibly-charged electrical equipment, firefighters did not attempt to extinguish the fire until consulting with Power Board personnel. After the arrival of the Electric Power Board it was determined that the insulation around the wiring was burning and the involved cable had been isolated.

A dry chemical fire extinguisher was used to extinguish the fire. No electric service was lost to the buildings surrounding the man-hole. 

The Hamilton County Emergency Medical Service also responded for stand-by.

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