After a Saturday fire damaged three floors of Patten Towers and left the apartment building condemned until repairs are made, all 184 residents have been placed in temporary shelters as of Thursday.
Many residents were evacuated Saturday morning as a fire broke out on the building's seventh floor.
One resident suffered light smoke inhalation and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and three firefighters were treated at the scene for minor burns.
By Monday, fire investigators determined that a resident in a seventh-floor apartment was smoking in bed on the morning of the incident and shortly after "fell asleep and woke up to his bed on fire."
The seventh floor, along with the eighth and ninth floors of the building were "severely impacted" by the fire, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. Groups like the Red Cross have been working to find temporary housing for residents.
Now, the city and its partners are continuing to assist with housing, food and medical needs "while we await a clear timeframe on reopening the building from Elmington Capital," said Kerry Hayes, a spokesperson for the city.
"Out of respect for their privacy and safety, we are not sharing the locations of the specific shelters or names of the residents," Hayes added.
Elmington Capital is the company that owns the building. A spokesperson said in a statement to the Times Free Press, "Patten Towers is an affordable housing community for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. Since the outbreak of this fire, our primary concern has been the safety and well-being of our residents.
"We are extremely thankful to the rescue teams that were able to evacuate the building and contain the fire. We continue to work closely with the city of Chattanooga, the local fire department, and the Red Cross to help our residents, including ensuring they have temporary housing and food. The damage from the fire is still being assessed. We are working diligently to get our residents safely back into their homes as soon as possible."
The city said it won't know if it needs to find a more long-term solution for housing until it has a better idea for how long repairs will take.
Contact Rosana Hughes at 423-757-6327, rhughes@timesfreepress.com or follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.