Incredible work by Chattanooga firefighters during a two-alarm house fire response in Hixson overnight with two people being rescued from the burning home. At 3:46 AM on 2/4/25, Red Shift companies responded to the 700 block of Ashley Forest Drive off Lower Mill Road. Hamilton County 911 dispatchers were able to confirm that at least one person was trapped inside. A second alarm was called to bring additional CFD personnel to the scene. Firefighters found flames coming from the back corner of the residential structure and encountered heavy smoke and heat once inside. Ladder 19 and Engine 16 searched and found the first victim in an upstairs bedroom and brought her out the front door. The second victim was located by Engine 11 and Engine 22 in a back bedroom on the other side of the hall. He was brought out the front door where HCEMS was waiting. Both victims suffered smoke inhalation. They were transported to the hospital and they are in critical condition. Other CFD crews had the fire in the dining room area under control as the victims were coming out.
“It was a very good stop considering the rescue operations that were happening, with crews keeping fire off the units making the rescues and the victims. They conducted an effective coordinated attack,” said Captain Scott Pell, incident commander and acting battalion chief for District 3.
More than 800 ft of supply line was laid from Lower Mill Road for water to support firefighting operations. We want to thank our Tri-State Mutual Aid partner agencies for backfilling our fire stations to provide continuous coverage for our community while our fire companies worked this incident. Squad 19, Ladder 19, Engine 11, Engine 22, Engine 16, Battalion 3, Battalion 1, Quint 6, Quint 10, HCEMS, CPD, CFD Supply, CFD Investigations, EPB and Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue’s rehab unit responded.
Both occupants- a 76-year-old female and a 71-year-old male- rescued by Chattanooga firefighters sadly succumbed to their injuries following the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Chattanooga Fire Department offers sincere condolences to the couple’s family and friends.
