posted March 26, 2006
An accident with a lava lamp wound up causing a fire and $30,000 in damages at a house in East Lake on Sunday morning.
At approximately 9:45 a.m., fire companies with the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to 3115 7th Ave. on a reported house fire.
The occupant, James Baker and his wife, Michelle, were at home when the fire occurred. Their nine-year-old daughter, Tabitha, was not home. No injuries were reported.
Mr. Baker reported that he knocked a lava lamp over in the bedroom. While he was cleaning up the oil from the lamp, he said he decided that he had better unplug the lamp. He said when he unplugged the lamp, the outlet arced and ignited the spilled oil. He then called to his wife to "Get out, and call 911!"
Firefighters were able to contain the fire, but there was still an estimated $20,000 damage to the structure, and $10,000 in contents loss.
Investigator Henry McElvain was called to assist in determining the cause of the fire. He reported that the fire appears to be accidental.
The American Red Cross was called in to assist the family.
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