Authorities believe a house fire this morning in Hixson was caused by a meth lab inside the home.
Chattanooga firefighters were called to the home, located at 5714 Taggart Drive, at 6:45 a.m., said the fire department’s spokesman Captain Philip Hyman.
Six people escaped from inside the home, including three children, with only one injury, said Capt. Hyman.
Information obtained from one of the fire victims indicated that hazardous chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine were inside the house, according to Chattanooga police spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary. The victim, Joshua McMellon, was taken to Erlanger for treatment of injuries sustained in the fire, she said.
The Chattanooga police department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Methamphetamine Task Force were then called to the scene to investigate, Capt. Hyman said.
The results of that investigation are still pending, Sgt. Weary said.