By Kevin Hardy
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Agents with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the largest fire the Chattanooga Fire Department has faced in about five years.
“They don’t normally help us with fire investigations,” fire department spokesman Bruce Garner said Tuesday. “But on the other hand, for big fires, really big fires, multi-alarm fires, it’s not uncommon for the ATF to provide assistance.”
Investigators remained at the scene late Tuesday afternoon after a fire in a vacant warehouse at 2000 Elmendorf St. The cause of the two-alarm fire, which started about 11 p.m. Monday, is under investigation, Mr. Garner said.
The two-story warehouse reportedly had been vacant for at least 10 years, he said, but neighbors reported that the building previously was occupied by squatters, something fire investigators are considering in the investigation.
There was no word that anyone was inside the 100,000-square-foot building at the time of the fire, Mr. Garner said late Tuesday.
“No injuries have been reported,” he said. “But a thorough search of the structure and all the debris will take some time to complete.”
The property was bought March 12 for $72,000 by Eagle Transportation LLC, according to Hamilton County’s Online Property Inquiry. Attempts to reach someone Tuesday at the company’s local office were unsuccessful.
Firefighters at the scene compared the blaze to the 2004 Mill and Mine fire on Signal Mountain Road, which gutted a warehouse, officials said. The site later was converted to a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
A few firefighters considered Monday’s blaze to be larger than the 2004 fire, Mr. Garner said.
At its peak, the fire’s flames reached as high as 30 to 40 feet and were visible for miles, he said.
The entire building, nearly the size of an average city block, was engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Ben Biggs said. He immediately called for a second-alarm response, which brought at least a dozen fire trucks to the scene, he said.
Mr. Garner said it took firefighters more than 90 minutes to get the fire under control.
“The firefighters focused their efforts on surrounding the building and containing the blaze, doing their best to protect nearby homes and businesses,” Mr. Garner said.
Copyright 2009 Chattanooga Publishing Company