Engine 4 sits in front of the house where the fire occurred. The fire damage was limited to the kitchen area. Photo contributed by the Chattanooga Fire Department.A Chattanooga police officer helped a disabled man escape his burning home this morning.
Patrol Officer Tyrone Williams was first to arrive after the 911 call to 2902 N. Chamberlain, where a woman on the front porch told him a man was still inside, according to a news release from fire department spokesman Bruce Garner.
Williams said he went inside and found a man in a wheelchair in the living room. From there, he could see flames in the kitchen and black smoke was filling the house, Garner said.
Williams pushed the man, Denver Joe McMath, to the front door, where the woman helped get the wheelchair to the porch.
Meanwhile, Chattanooga firefighters helped ensure two other people in an attached apartment were safely outside.
The fire was blamed on unattended food left cooking, Garner said. Firefighters quickly soaked the flames, but other parts of the home were damaged by smoke, he said.