Two families in Hamilton County lost their houses to fire Monday.
About 11 a.m., one of three children who were in the house at 1713 LaHuge Drive smelled smoke and saw smoke coming from a bathroom, Chattanooga Fire Department officials said. The teenager alerted his mother and the others, who all got out safely, the fire department said.
Smoke and flames were visible when the first firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Ben Biggs said.
While firefighters put out the fire fairly quickly, flames still caused substantial damage to the house, according to a news release.
All the Christmas presents were destroyed and the family of 10 will be staying with relatives in the meantime, said Claudia Moore, a spokeswoman with the Greater Chattanooga Area American Red Cross.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Later Monday, a fire on Mowbray Mountain destroyed a family’s home and damaged the next-door neighbor’s.
Responding to a call at 9643 Miller Country Road about 2:45 p.m., Mowbray Mountain firefighters found the house in flames along with the garage, a truck and the neighbor’s house, said Hamilton County Emergency Services spokeswoman Amy Maxwell.
After calling for extra help, firefighters stopped the fire from spreading to all the rooms in the house and saved the house next door from severe damage, Maxwell said.
Firefighters also saved the Christmas gifts for the homeowner’s children, she said.
No one was inside the home at the time of the fire, she said.
A garage, a truck and three rooms in the house were destroyed, she said, while minimum damage was reported at the neighbor’s house.
The fire started in the garage, but officials still are investigating what sparked the flames, she said.