Chattanooga, TN – Chattanooga Fire Department crews responded to a fire caused by a mishap with a kerosene heater at an Alton Park residence on Thursday morning.
At 11:32 a.m. on January 9, 2025, Green Shift companies were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of W 45th Street. The fire started when gasoline was mistakenly used in a kerosene heater, causing it to explode and ignite a fire in the living room.
A grandmother and a baby safely evacuated the home before firefighters arrived. Crews quickly established a water supply and extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported.
The Red Cross will assist the impacted family, and fire officials highlighted the benefits of closed bedroom doors, noting that one bedroom was mostly untouched by the fire.
Responding units included Engine 14, Engine 9, Squad 1, Ladder 1, Squad 20, Battalion 1, Battalion 2, and the Operations Chief. Other agencies on the scene included EPB, EMS, CPD, Red Cross, and Public Works, which brought salt to manage water on the roadway from the firefighting efforts.