3/25/2008

No injuries were reported in connection with a fire this morning at the Gallery Apartments in Hixson.  The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 8:16 a.m. and responded to 400 Gallery Lane with six fire companies.  When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, Apartment A-8 was fully engulfed in flames.  Fortunately, all of the residents of that unit were outside and accounted for.  While some firefighters worked to get the blaze under control, other firefighters made sure that all of the other apartment units in the building were evacuated.

The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, with an estimated dollar loss at $50,000.  Lieutenant Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the blaze was most likely started by a cigarette butt, which was improperly discarded into a trash can.  The family, which consists of a mother and her five children, did not have renter's insurance.  Volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to provide temporary accommodations at a local motel to help the family recover.

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