Chattanooga (TN) firefighters battled a fully involved structure fire in Hixson late Monday that led to a fatality. The first call to 911 Communications was received at 8:16 p.m., with the report of a fully involved structure fire with entrapment at 1332 Highland Way.
Captain Brent Arnold with Quint 16 said the house was fully engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters initially tried to enter the structure to look for victims, but Captain Arnold said the heat and flames were so intense that it was too dangerous for the firefighters to go in. Instead, the firefighters were ordered to pull back and fight the fire defensively, keeping the fire from spreading to other houses located nearby.
Captain Carlos Hampton, the incident commander, said the firefighters worked as quickly as they could to get the fire under control. When the bulk of the fire was extinguished, firefighters found a body in a back bedroom.
One person reportedly escaped the blaze before firefighters arrived on the scene. Haley Neal, 29, told Lt. Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division that she barely escaped through a bedroom window. She was transported by Hamilton County EMS to Erlanger Medical Center, where she was treated and released for smoke inhalation.
The cause of this fire remains under investigation by Captain Anthony Moore and Lt. Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division. The Major Crimes Division with the Chattanooga Police Department is also involved in the investigation, which is standard protocol when fatalities or serious injuries are involved.
This is the first fire-related fatality this year in Chattanooga.
See more photos from the scene HERE.
MORE CHATTANOOGA FIRE NEWS
