CHATTANOOGA, Tenn - Sunday, February 13,2011 - 5:00 pm - City of Chattanooga
Firefighters responded to a reported structure fire on Emmaus Road. Emmaus
Road is near the Tennessee/Georgia State line and fire crews would have to
actually go into Georgia to get to the fire. Within minutes of arriving on
the scene crews found some obstacles involved in battling the blaze. One of
these obstacles was the fact that the house was on a long narrow dirt road
with very little access. Another major obstacle was the fact that the
nearest fire hydrant was miles away from the blaze.
Crews pulled several inch and 3/4 hose lines
and started attacking the fire, however the blaze had an aggressive head
start and had already consumed the majority of the building. With flames
rolling out of every door, window and vent hole it was impossible to make
any kind of interior attack. Crews basically had to make a defensive stand
against the raging blaze. Several additional city fire engines arrived on
the scene to assist with water supply.
Luckily nobody was believed to have been
at home at the time the fire broke out. The structure was a duplex and
families lived in both sides. The Red Cross was called to assist the
families. It took several hours to completely extinguish the blaze. The
structure was considered a total loss.
Story and photos by Bill Carson
