News Releases

A fire alarm turned into a commercial fire response early Wednesday morning. On 7/5/23 at 2:03 AM, Red Shift companies responded to 3105 Freeman Avenue and upon arrival, noted smoke coming from the waste storage area of the City Waste Services. Firefighters could see a glow of fire in the center of the facility. A pile of trash was burning. A water supply was established as personnel entered the structure to knock the fire down. A loader was used to break down the materials, making extinguishment easier. An aerial was then used to continue soaking down the contents. After the fire was out, crews returned to service.

Chattanooga firefighters worked a residential structure fire at a duplex in the 1500 block of North Concord Road early Wednesday morning. The call came out just after 1AM on 7/5/23. Quint 21, Quint 8, Ladder 13, Squad 13, Squad 7 and Battalion 2 Red Shift arrived on scene to find a working house fire. Captain Joey Smith with Quint 21 established command and made a quick interior attack with Senior Firefighter Pat O'Brien. The fire was located in the attic and quickly extinguished. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported and the Red Cross will be assisting with a total of seven displaced occupants from both sides of the duplex.

A Hamilton County jury has convicted Joshua Wells, 32, of first degree murder and aggravated arson in the 2016 fire that claimed his mother’s life. Wells intentionally set fire to Kimberly Wells’ home while she was sleeping inside and as smoke and flames spread, she was unable to escape. The guilty verdict came Sunday (7/2/23) after a week-long trial. Wells faces life in prison.

He was indicted in December 2022 when District Attorney Coty Wamp took office, finally moving the case forward in the pursuit for justice for the victim. DA Wamp and Chief Homicide Prosecutor Paul Moyle tried the case before Judge Boyd Patterson.

Security camera video from a neighbor seen by the jury showed a figure go up to the house and start the beginnings of a fire. The figure leaves and then returns to start a bigger fire. Relatives testified that they were certain that it was Joshua Wells in the footage.

On July 13, 2016 at 5:30 AM, Chattanooga firefighters responded to a residential structure fire at 1725 Rubio Street. Flames quickly engulfed the home. Once fire companies responded to the scene, the house had already sustained significant damage. Crews made entry through the front and located Ms. Wells, 44, who was suffering from injuries from the fire. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition and then airlifted to a burn center in Augusta, Georgia. She passed away from injuries sustained in the blaze the following day. CFD investigators spent countless hours working on the arson case and developed Joshua Wells as the suspect. The conviction is the culmination of years of hard work and persistence by our investigators, including Chief Anthony Moore and Captain Andy Waters, who never gave up on the case and tirelessly pushed for it to be prosecuted. District Attorney Wamp said: “The State of Tennessee didn’t forget about Kimberly Wells and neither did the Chattanooga Fire Department.”

During the large storm cell that passed through the area on Sunday afternoon, CFD companies were dispatched to a reported residential fire in the 7700 block of Camelot Lane. Quint 8 arrived on scene and reported heavy smoke showing from the roof. As other companies arrived on scene, an offensive attack was started and crews were able to make their way to the attic and stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the home. It was brought fully under control in approximately 30 minutes. The fire is still under investigation, but was believed to be started by lightning. No one was home during the incident and no injuries were reported. Companies on scene included Quint 8, Ladder 7, Quint 21, Squad 7, Ladder 13, Squad 13, Engine 15, Battalion 2 and Battalion 3 Blue Shift. Firefighters responded to dozens of weather-related calls Sunday night following stormy weather.