Two families displaced by duplex fire

Two families were forced to flee their homes Saturday afternoon when fire heavily damaged their duplex, according to Chattanooga Fire Department spokesman Bruce Garner.

Firefighters arrived at 4224 Victory Street, near Woodmore Elementary School, about 12:15 p.m. to see flames at the rear of the building, he said.

Battalion Chief Ben Biggs said the fire was beginning to get into the attic before it was brought under control.

The cause of the blaze has been ruled as accidental and Capt. Lesley Morgan said it appears to have started near water heaters in a utility shed.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called to assist two families, a mother and her 9-year-old daughter living in half the duplex and a mother and her teenage son living in the other half, following the fire, Mr. garner said.

Neither family had renter’s insurance, he said.