photo by Bruce Garner
Chattanooga firefighters were dispatched to a house fire in the Highland Park community shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday.
Captain John Ives with Engine 5 said one resident, an adult male, was out in the front yard when the first firefighters arrived. The man’s son reportedly was returning home when the fire was discovered. The son saw smoke coming out of the house, so he went inside and got his father out. No injuries were reported.
When the firefighters arrived, they located the fire in the kitchen and extinguished the blaze in just a few minutes. The fire damage was contained to the kitchen, but the meter for electrical service had to be pulled, so the three adults living there will have to stay elsewhere. Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee were called in to provide assistance to the family.
Captain David Thompson, Jr. said the cause of the fire will be ruled accidental, from food being left unattended on the stove.