Photo Bruce Garner Firefighters tackle the fire Monday.

Several families have been displaced after fire ripped through the Airport Inn motel at 7725 Lee Highway Monday afternoon. A clerk at the motel's front desk was reportedly one of the first to notice the smoke and immediately went door-to-door to alert the residents. Passing motorists on Lee Highway and on Interstate 75 also saw flames shooting through the roof of the two-story structure and called 911.  

The Chattanooga Fire Department received the alarm at 2:25 p.m. and responded with six fire companies. Seeing the size of the fire upon arrival, Captain Jeff Eldridge with Quint 8 requested a second alarm response, which brought in an additional six fire companies. 

Battalion Chief Winston Shields, the incident commander, said the flames had made their way into the attic, making it that much more difficult for the firefighters to get the fire out. The hot afternoon temperatures also added to the stress. One firefighter was transported by Hamilton County EMS to Erlanger Medical Center to be treated for what appeared to be heat exhaustion. Another firefighter had to be taken out of the firefighting operation after he also showed signs of heat exhaustion. He was treated on the scene and allowed to return to duty. 

The firefighters used several hand-held hoselines and master streams from aerials in an effort to keep the fire from destroying the entire 12-unit building. Several firefighters also got on the roof and used power saws to make a "trench cut," which gave the firefighters access to the flames in the attic. Chief Shields said it took roughly 45 minutes to get most of the flames out, but it would take much longer to finish putting out hot spots.  

Aside from the firefighters who were treated for heat exhaustion, there were no reports of any fire-related injuries. Most of the residents in the motel were evacuated immediately. However, at the time of this release, a complete search of the fire-damaged units was still under way.  

Chief Shields also requested a partial response from the department's haz-mat team. Based on observations on how fast the fire spread, and an apparent past history of meth labs at that motel, the haz-mat personnel are using special chemical monitoring devices to help confirm whether or not a meth lab was involved. Meantime, several fire investigators are also on the scene, working with the haz-mat personnel in an effort to determine what started the blaze. A dollar estimate on the damages was not available.  

Several residents in the motel said they did not hear any smoke alarms at the time of the fire. Assistant Fire Marshal David Brooks said he would be investigating those reports. 

Several volunteers with the American Red Cross arrived on the scene to provide assistance to the burned out families.  

Chattanooga Police, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue and Hamilton County EMS provided assistance on the scene. The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department also assisted by providing a special monitoring device to help determine if a meth lab was involved.

Chattanooga fire officials have estimated the dollar loss from Monday's fire at the Airport Inn at around $750,000. Lieutenant Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said 8 to 10 rooms were damaged by fire or water. Some adjacent rooms sustained smoke damage. Fortunately, Chattanooga firefighters were able to save most of the two-story, 80-room building. No injuries were reported. 

The cause of the fire appears to be accidental in nature. Lt. Moore believes the fire actually started outside, next to the building. The burn patterns indicate that the fire started in the mulch and traveled up a wooden column into the attic. From there, the flames spread quickly through the attic until the firefighters gained access to extinguish the fire. 

As to what sparked the blaze, the exact cause may never be confirmed. However, Lt. Moore said that many cigarette butts were found in the area where the fire started. Meantime, representatives with the fire marshal's office will be checking into reports from some of the residents that the fire alarm system did not work. If infractions are found, the owner could be cited to court for a misdemeanor charge.