Lightning likely sparked house fire in Hixson’s Big Ridge neighborhood

Mandatory credit: Video by Bruce Garner, Chattanooga Fire Department

Lightning may have been the cause of a house fire Tuesday evening in the Big Ridge neighborhood of Hixson, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to a report about 6:50 p.m. of a fire at a home on the 3100 block of Hamill Road. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles as fire companies from several stations responded, according to the news release.

When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, Battalion Chief Chris Warren said the garage was engulfed in flames and the fire had already broken through the roof over the garage.

Warren said the firefighters initially tried an interior attack. Conditions deteriorated quickly and Warren ordered the firefighters out of the house. Firefighters used a defensive attack and worked to extinguish the fire from the outside and eventually got the blaze under control.

The damage to the home was substantial but no injuries were reported.

A husband and wife live in the house, along with a dog and two cats. The wife was home at the time and she got out safely with their dog. The two cats have not yet been found.

The wife told firefighters that she heard and felt a lightning strike shortly before the fire broke out. Warren said a severe thunderstorm was passing through that area at the time and lightning was very likely the cause of the fire. Chattanooga police and Hamilton County Emergency Services also provided assistance on the scene.