Fire on Lea Road
photo by Capt. David Thompson Jr.
Chattanooga firefighters responded to two fires Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The first fire occurred around 11 p.m. Friday and was located at 7128 Lea Road.
The fire reportedly started in the kitchen, but was spreading rapidly. The Chattanooga Fire Department initially responded with four fire companies.
Captain Andre Dean with Quint 21 said flames were visible on at least two sides of the house when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. Captain Dean said flames were shooting through the roof and a boat located next to the house was also on fire. Seeing the magnitude of the fire, Captain Dean called for an additional two fire companies to assist.
Battalion Chief Jeff Eldridge arrived to take over command of the incident. As firefighters attacked the fire with hand-held hose lines on all sides, Quint 21 raised the master stream from its aerial to spray large amounts of water on the roof. It took roughly 24 firefighters nearly an hour to get the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.
An estimate on the dollar loss was not available, but the fire caused substantial damage to the house. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen area, but the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Chattanooga firefighters were dispatched to a second fire at 3303 Harrison Pike around 3:30 Saturday morning. Firefighters with Quint 6 arrived on the scene to find a large fire in front of the residence. Captain Teri Rose said the fire started in a 'slide-on truck camper" located near the house. The flames engulfed the camper and spread to the front of the house. Four additional fire companies arrived to assist and they were able to stop the fire before it could cause serious damage to the house.
Captain Rose said the two residents were not injured in the fire, and because the damage was limited to the home, the couple would not be displaced. An estimate on the dollar loss to the camper was not available. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire on Lea Road
photo by