04-22-15 Fire Forces Evacuation at Orange Grove Center

Captain Wadie Suttles with Engine 4 said firefighters were initially told that smoke and flames were visible on the second floor of the building housing the Materials Recovery Facility. Firefighters carried in hand-held hoselines and searched through thick, black smoke for the fire. They found the fire in a room on the second floor, on a conveyer belt. Captain Suttles said it took firefighters with six fire companies roughly 20 minutes to get the blaze under control. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire will be ruled accidental. Employees with Orange Grove told firefighters that they were using an acetylene torch to install a new conveyer belt. It's believed that heat or sparks from the torch sparked the fire. Firefighters set up high-powered fans to get the smoke out of the building. The fire damage was limited to the area around the conveyer belt, but it will take some time for Orange Grove to clean up after the smoke damage, and water from the sprinkler system.

Captain Wadie Suttles said the Orange Grove staff did an excellent job of evacuating the building. "Everyone was out of the building when we got there," said Captain Suttles. "The smoke inside the building was very thick and toxic, so it was good the employees got out as quickly as they did." Chattanooga police and Hamilton County EMS also provided assistance on the scene.