5-year-old burned in house fire

Staff Report

A 5-year-old suffered second-degree burns to an arm and his back, during a house fire at 5909 Fifth Ave. on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

The Chattanooga Fire Department received a call at around 1:40 p.m. and firefighters arrived on the scene several minutes later to find the house full of smoke and a fire in the upstairs bedroom, said Chattanooga Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Terri Whiteside.

The crew was able to manage the fire and keep it from spreading.

Before firefighters arrived, the child was upstairs when his uncle noticed smoke and ran upstairs to find the boy, while his mother got a fire extinguisher, Capt. Whiteside said.

Everyone made it out of the house, but the uncle was take to Erlanger hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, Capt. Whiteside said. The boy was taken to T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital to be treated for his burn injuries.

Fire Investigator Andy Waters said he found that the probable cause was the young boy was playing with a lighter in the upstairs bedroom.