Several fires burned in the Chattanooga area on Friday morning, sending crews out to battle flames and freezing temperatures and leaving one person dead.
The largest, a house fire in North Chattanooga that began around 6:30 a.m., spread from a house on Jarnigan Avenue to the home next door due to high winds. Initially, the female occupant had been alerted to the fire at her house by a neighbor and safely escaped, but when she could not be located by fire officials and neighbors, it sparked concerns that she had potentially gone back into her home to retrieve her pet bird, the Chattanooga Fire Department said.
After the fire was extinguished, firefighters located the body of a 68-year-old woman.
Chattanooga Fire officials urge citizens to never go back into a burning structure as they can quickly become disoriented and overwhelmed by smoke and heat.
Both homes that caught fire at the location are a total loss and the cause of the fires is under investigation.
(READ MORE: Arctic blast to bring bitterly cold weather to Chattanooga area)
Less than an hour after crews responded to the North Chattanooga fire, "calls started pouring into 911 from neighbors" reporting another house fire in Hixson, the fire department said. The blaze was likely restarted Friday morning from a fire reported at the same home on Ashley Forest Drive on Thursday, the department said in a statement.
The fires came as an extreme cold front moved through the Chattanooga area, leaving a light dusting of snow in some parts. According to the fire department, the weather made it harder to find and connect to a water source while responding to the Hixson house fire on Friday morning.
"The first hydrant was frozen, so firefighters quickly established a secondary source from another hydrant down the road," a release from the department said.
Department photos from the scene show smoke pouring out of the home while snow coats the ground. No one was hurt, the fire department said, and the family was evacuated and staying with a neighbor.
Neighbors help Chattanooga family escape house fire with trampoline | Chattanooga Times Free Press
Firefighters work the scene of a fire in the Chattanooga area on Dec. 23, 2022. / Photo contributed by Chattanooga Fire DepartmentAnother residential fire was reported in a neighborhood of mobile homes near the airport, on Daylong Place, shortly after 9 a.m. Friday. There were no injuries, according to the fire department, but two adults and four children were displaced after the home was declared a total loss. The blaze was likely caused by an electrical issue, the department said.
Around 11 a.m., crews also responded to a house fire in Harrison, off Birchwood Pike, according to the Hamilton County dispatch website.
Also on Friday, a tractor-trailer carrying doors blocked traffic for hours on Interstate 24 after catching fire on the highway between Germantown Road and Belvoir Avenue. Crews managed to separate the trailer from the vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
On Thursday evening, other house fires were reported in Ooltewah, near the Georgia border, and in Dalton, Georgia.
Cold weather can increase the risk of fire, as people try to heat their homes. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, one in every seven house fires involves heating equipment.
To avoid a fire, make sure to keep a clear three-foot radius around any heat sources including radiators, space heaters and fireplaces, the fire department reminded people in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Only one heating appliance, like a space heater, should be plugged into an outlet at a time, and never into an extension cord or power strip. Space heaters should be on flat, solid surfaces, and cords kept away from anything flammable, the department said. Never use your oven or stove to heat a home.
Outside the home, make sure to keep ashes in a tightly closed metal container at least 10 feet from a house or building. If you're using a generator, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends keeping it as far from windows and your home as possible.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.
Chattanooga Fire Department / A fire in North Chattanooga spread to a second house on Friday due to high winds.