Firefighters battled a two-alarm commercial fire in Downtown Chattanooga for several hours Tuesday morning, working to keep flames from spreading to other nearby buildings. Red Shift companies were dispatched to Huff Place off E 23rd Street at 1:10 AM on 12/10/24 after 911 received reports about a burning building. Engine 5 arrived on the scene and found heavy smoke billowing out of a grocery store. They launched an interior attack and primary search and no one was found inside. Additional crews joined in the offensive operation, but the fire progressed very quickly.
Firefighters found themselves dealing with multiple ceilings and a multiple layer roof. When there was a partial roof collapse, conditions were deemed too dangerous for CFD personnel to remain inside so the decision was made to battle the fire defensively. Aerials were set up so that master streams could douse the flames and fire officials pushed to protect two other adjacent large commercial buildings. The grocery store was torn down due to its compromised structural integrity. The CFD has no injuries to report and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Thanks to our mutual aid partners from other area fire departments for handling calls at Chattanooga fire stations while our firefighters have been on this call.
Engine 5, Ladder 5, Engine 1, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Engine 9, Engine 14, Engine 4, Engine 15, Engine 10, Engine 5, Squad 20, Engine 3, Ladder 13, Squad 13, Battalion 1 (incident commander), Battalion 2, and Battalion 3 responded, along with CPD, Hamilton County EMS, Hamilton County 911 Incident Dispatch Unit, EPB, Chattanooga Gas, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue Squad’s Rehab Unit, CFD Supply for air bottles and CFD Investigations.
