One person is dead after an early morning apartment fire in Red Bank.Red Bank firefighters fought two blazes Thanksgiving morning, including one home fire that left one dead.
The first fire, at 109 Miller Avenue in the Red Bank area, was contained within twenty minutes, said Hamilton County Emergency Services spokeswoman Amy Maxwell. Crews arrived about 5 a.m. to find fire in the attic fire. Though the fire was extinguished quickly, Maxwell said the home is a total loss.
While firefighters were still on the scene, another call came in from a nearby home at 137 Hedgewood Drive. The quadraplex's front window, front door and rear side was engulfed in flames, Maxwell said. Red Bank was assisted by the Signal Mountain Fire Department, Walden's Ridge Emergency Services, Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department, East Ridge Fire Department and Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue.
One person was trapped in the apartment and was discovered dead by firefighters. One female sustained injuries from jumping out of the bathroom window. Hamilton County EMS transported her to Erlanger Medical Center, Maxwell said. Another resident escaped out of a window and climbed down a tree. No other injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and will be under investigation by the Red Bank Fire Department. The home is considered a total loss. The American Red Cross responded to aid the four families that were displaced from their apartments.
The Red Bank Police Department took one individual into custody for a disturbance on the scene. Red Bank Police will release more information on that suspect and the victim later, but Deputy Chief Brent Sylar reported the two house fires are not related to each other.
Red Bank Police Chief Tim Christol described the Hedgewood Drive fire as "suspicious." He said investigators are interviewing several witnesses, residents and one person of interest in the case. But at this time no charges have been filed, he said.