photo by Bruce Garner
Fire destroyed a vacant house in the Valleybrook Community early Thursday morning.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 5:35 a.m. and responded to a reported fire at the Valleybrook Golf and Country Club off Hixson Pike. When the first firefighters from Station 19 arrived on the scene, they could not find the fire. Lt. Scott Sheets with Quint 19 said that as they looked around, they spotted a large plume of smoke to their west in the Valleybrook subdivision.
Lt. Sheets informed the other fire companies still on the way to head for that area instead.
By the time the firefighters found the house fire at the corner of Baltusrol and Masters Road, the damage had already been done. Lt. Sheets said the house was fully engulfed in flames and the roof was caving in. Neighbors told the firefighters that the elderly couple that lived there for years had died and the house has been vacant for months. It took 20 firefighters roughly 30 minutes to get the fire under control.
Word was received later in the morning that two firefighters were injured on this fire. They received first- and second-degree burns and were transported to Erlanger Hospital for treatment. Safety Officer Travis Williams said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Chattanooga Police and Hamilton County EMS provided assistance on the scene.