photo by Captain John Long
No injuries were reported in connection with a house fire in St. Elmo Saturday morning.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 6:49 a.m. and responded to the 1300 block of W. 46th Street with five fire companies.
Captain John Long with Quint 14 said a significant amount of smoke was showing when his firefighters arrived on the scene.
The fire was located in the kitchen, but Captain Long said their way through the house was obstructed by what appeared to be an extreme hoarding situation. As additional fire companies arrived on the scene, they made their way to the kitchen and quickly got the fire under control.
Captain Long said none of the occupants of the house were inside when the firefighters arrived. One occupant later told firefighters that potatoes were cooking on the stove and they somehow caused the fire. A fire investigator responded to the scene. As of now, the cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation. Captain Long said the loss was estimated at around $40,000.
Chattanooga Police and Hamilton County EMS provided assistance on the scene.