A man is in critical condition after Chattanooga firefighters rescued him from a burning Highland Park home early Friday morning.
Firefighters arrived on the 1400 block of Bailey Avenue at around 3:46 a.m. and found black smoke coming from the back door and fire in a bedroom window on the side of the residence with a downstairs apartment. People at the scene were screaming that someone was still inside the house, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Firefighters entered the home, which had heavy smoke from the ceiling to the floor, and found the man unresponsive in a bathroom from apparent smoke inhalation. They carried him out the back door and began CPR. The man was then transferred to paramedics and taken to a local hospital.
Residents in the upstairs and first-floor apartments escaped without injury. Relatives of the injured man said he had yelled to wake up his family so they could escape, but then stayed behind to try to extinguish the fire, the release said.
The fire was contained within minutes to the room where it originated. An investigation is underway.
– Compiled by Kim Sebring
The scene of a Highland Park house fire is shown in this July 15, 2022, photo. / Contributed by Chattanooga Fire Department