Chattanooga firefighters responded to an apartment fire shortly after 9 p.m. Monday night at Royal Arms Apartments, 314 McBrien Road. Captain Kevin Carpenter with Quint 13 said the first firefighters on the scene found a small kitchen fire and extinguished it with a portable water extinguisher.
Captain Carpenter said two people were displaced by the fire, with one of the occupants being treated on the scene for smoke inhalation.
"The outcome could have been much worse," Captain Carpenter said, "The smoke alarm in the apartment did not work because the occupants had unplugged it.
Fortunately, a neighbor smelled the smoke, alerted the occupants and got them out."
The dollar loss from the fire was estimated at $10,000. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, from food being left unattended on the stove. Chattanooga police and Hamilton County EMS also provided assistance on the scene.