Firefighter injured by falling ceiling

Firefighters deal with a fire at 202 Glenwood Circle.
Firefighters deal with a fire at 202 Glenwood Circle.
photo Firefighters deal with a fire at 202 Glenwood Circle.

A Chattanooga firefighter was injured Sunday morning when a ceiling fell on him as he battled a residential fire.

The injured man was treated and released at Erlanger hospital and will spend some days recovering at home, Chattanooga Fire Department spokesman Bruce Garner said in a news release. The firefighter's name was not released.

Five fire crews responded when a duplex fire at 202 Glenwood Circle was reported at 10:30 a.m. Garner said by the time they arrived, one side of the duplex was ablaze and flames had broken through the roof.

The occupants, Walter Hurt Jr. and Stephanie Smith, were home. Smith told firefighters she was cooking breakfast when she saw smoke coming from the kitchen cabinets and the air conditioning vents. They picked up their dog, Quejoe, and quickly got out of the house. The occupant of the other duplex escaped unharmed as well.

As firefighters went inside with hoses, a plaster ceiling in a bedroom fell and hit one man on the head and back.

The crews helped the injured man out and withdrew, some attacking the blaze with a deck gun while others protected neighboring structures. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes, Garner said. No estimate on the dollar loss was available, but the damage was extensive. Two cars were also badly damaged or destroyed.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Garner said.

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