Electric vehicle caused major apartment fire; ‘First large-scale incident’ in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An electric vehicle is responsible for a major apartment fire on Frazier Avenue in Chattanooga last month, in what fire officials are calling the “first large-scale incident involving an electric vehicle” in the Scenic City.

The fire at 417 Frazier Avenue was ruled accidental, according to a release sent Friday by the Chattanooga Fire Department (CFD).

Two other vehicles next to the electric car caught fire and most of the cars in the garage suffered heat damage in the early morning hours of 22 November.

CFD released body camera footage showing cooperation between police and fire in a tense situation. Their release says

Residents provided vital information to police, and officers relayed those details to crews conducting searches and rescues. You can also see and hear the compassion first responders have on the scene as they help people fleeing their smoke-filled homes in the middle of the night.

Check out this body cam footage:

First responders worked together to make sure everyone was safe and that care was taken as several firefighters were at the back of the building.

The fire also damaged a Portuguese restaurant – Bela Lisboa. A co-owner of that restaurant, Gabe Duncan, told us at the time that it would likely be weeks before he could reopen.

See more photos of the fire damage by clicking on our photo gallery above.

We are working on getting more details. Trust us to bring you updates as we get them.

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