photo by Bruce Garner
No one was home and no injuries were reported when fire broke out in a home at 2510 E. 4th St. on Friday afternoon.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 3:17 p.m. and responded to the scene with four fire companies.
Captain Joey Smith with Engine 5 said no one was home, so the firefighters forced their way inside and found the fire in the kitchen. The flames were beginning to spread up the walls and into a stairwell, but the firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it could spread any further.
Captain Smith estimated the dollar loss at $15,000 to $20,000.
The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. Lt. Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division said the fire was started by food being left unattended on the stove. In this case, it was cooking oil, and when the oil got hot enough to ignite, the flames quickly spread from the stove to the rest of the kitchen.
Fortunately, the firefighters were able to get the fire out in roughly 15 minutes.
photo by Bruce Garner