A fire that displaced over 100 residents at Patten Towers over the weekend was a result of a seventh-floor resident smoking in bed, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Several residents were evacuated and one was injured Saturday morning as a fire broke out on the seventh floor. Fire investigators concluded Monday 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 release states.
The resident, who has not been identified, suffered light smoke inhalation and was transported by emergency services to a local hospital. Firefighters who sustained injuries at the scene on Saturday were also treated and are doing well, according to officials.
Floors seven, eight and nine of the building were "severely impacted" by the fire, according to the fire department's social media page, and those residents were transported from the scene by CARTA.
Displaced residents of the building have been divided among several hotel properties in the area, with the total number nearing 200 since the initial count at the scene. Temporary housing situations are changing as the city works to find the most suitable solution for each individual, the fire department says.