Firefighters Battle Afternoon Fire And Heat On Orchard Knob Avenue; 4 Firefighters Treated For Heat Exhaustion

Chattanooga firefighters responded to a house fire around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, at 153 North Orchard Knob Ave.

 

The first firefighters on the scene reported smoke and flames were visible coming from the one-story house. Battalion Chief David Thompson, Jr., the incident commander, said the firefighters made a quick interior attack and contained the fire damage to the back half of the house. 

Due to Tuesday's excessive heat and humidity, Chief Thompson called for a second alarm response to bring in additional personnel. Though the fire personnel were rotated out during the operation, four firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. Of those four, three were transported by Hamilton County EMS to Erlanger Medical Center, where they were expected to be treated and released. No other injuries were reported. 

The fire displaced one adult. Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide assistance to the victim. The cause of the fire is being ruled accidental, most likely from food being left unattended on the stove. The loss was estimated at $15,000 to $20,000. Chattanooga Police and EPB also provided assistance on the scene.