Firefighters Climb 150 Feet To Extinguish Fire At Ardent Mills

  • Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Tall structure at Ardent Mills
Tall structure at Ardent Mills
photo by Battalion Chief Nate Middlebrooks.

Chattanooga firefighters had to climb 150 feet to extinguish a fire at a flour mill off Amnicola Highway on Monday morning.

A call came in at 7:35 a.m. for the fire at 1 Riverside Lane. Ardent Mills reported smoke in the building and all employees were evacuated.

Fire crews arriving on the scene could see light smoke coming from a vent on the upper half of the tall structure.

Firefighters set up a 109-foot aerial to gain access to the lowest roof of the building. From there, another 200 feet of hose was deployed 50 feet up to the next landing and into the building.

Fire personnel worked on cat walks and in small spaces to flush water through a maze of pipes and containers to extinguish a smoldering fire. The large volume of potentially explosive flour dust in the mill, especially in confined spaces, makes any fire an extremely hazardous situation,  fire officials said.

Thousands of gallons of water were used until there was no more smoke coming from the machinery.

No firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

No estimate on damage was immediately available.

The mill will resume operation after the machinery is thoroughly cleaned. 

Latest Headlines
Breaking News
Latest Hamilton County Arrest Report
  • 3/29/2024

Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report: ASBERY, DAVID BENJAMIN 1920 GUNBARREL APT 404 CHATTANOOGA, 37421 Age at Arrest: 48 years old Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD VANDALISM/MALICIOUS ... more

New Hope Fire Department Disputes TWRA Report On Kayaker Rescues
  • 3/28/2024

New Hope Fire Department Corey Comstock disputed a report by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency about the rescue of 33 kayakers from extremely high winds near Nickajack Cave on Monday. ... more

Woman Dies After Being Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
Woman Dies After Being Seriously Injured In House Fire Thursday Afternoon
  • 3/28/2024

A woman died after sustaining life-threatening injuries in a house fire on North Moore Road Thursday afternoon and was rescued by Chattanooga firefighters. Hamilton County 911 received a call ... more