CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga firefighters fought two house fires in quick succession Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, and one adult was left without a home after the second blaze.
The first fire was reported at 8:47 a.m. at a duplex in the 1800 block of Citico Avenue in the East Chattanooga area. The first units on scene found smoke and fire coming from the back of the building. Firefighters launched an interior attack and ran another hose line to the rear, where flames were coming through a collapsed roof.
Crews searched both sides of the duplex and found no one inside. Fire officials determined both sides of the building were vacant, and the fire was out by 9:10 a.m.
As crews were wrapping up on Citico Avenue, a second house fire was reported at 9:29 a.m. in the 1500 block of South Highland Park Avenue off Main Street. People calling 911 reported flames visible through the front doors and windows, and responding companies could see a plume of smoke on the way in.
Firefighters found fire in the front of the house. One person was home at the time but got out safely. Crews attacked through the front door, and the amount of contents inside the home made the work harder. That fire was out by 10:01 a.m.
One adult was displaced and will receive help from the American Red Cross. The cause of the South Highland Park Avenue fire remains under investigation.
The Chattanooga Fire Department is the city’s municipal fire department, headquartered at 26 E 11th St, and it provides fire suppression, hazmat and EMS first response across the City of Chattanooga.