Duplex fire leaves woman homeless

photo Chattanooga firefighters take care of a fire a at 1320 Mayfield Lane in Hixson.
photo Chattanooga firefighters take care of a fire a at 1320 Mayfield Lane in Hixson.
photo Chattanooga firefighters take care of a fire a at 1320 Mayfield Lane in Hixson.

Chattanooga firefighters believe a pan of grease ignited in a blaze that heavily damaged half of a Hixson duplex Saturday afternoon.

The fire at 1320 Mayfield Lane left a 74-year-old woman uninjured but homeless, according to Battalion Chief Don Bowman. The woman's bird was lost in the fire and her three cats are missing, Bowman said.

The woman told firefighters she had left a pan of grease heating on the stove and walked out of the kitchen. She returned to find the kitchen ablaze and called 911.

Crews from five fire companies arrived to find flames shooting through the roof. They focused on saving the other side of the duplex, Bowman said.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee are assisting the woman, he said.

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