Captain George Turley
Chattanooga firefighters responded to a house fire around 3 p.m. on Sunday at the 3700 block of Thrushwood Drive.
Captain George Turley, the incident commander, said the firefighters got the fire out quickly, containing the fire damage to the kitchen area. There was some smoke and water damage to adjacent rooms. Captain Turley estimated the loss at roughly $30,000.
The lone resident in the house was a 91-year-old man.
He told firefighters that he had just put a pan of oil on the stove to heat up, and left the kitchen. When he returned, the stove was on fire and spreading to the cabinets above. The man tried to put the flames out with a fire extinguisher, but when that failed, he got out of the house and called 911. He was not injured.
The cause of the fire will be ruled accidental, from food -- or in this case oil -- being left unattended on the stove. The man will be staying with relatives until repairs are made to the house.
Chattanooga Police and Hamilton County EMS also provided assistance on the scene.