A woman was rescued from a house fire on the 100 block of Centro Avenue in Lookout Valley early Wednesday morning.
The woman was found on the floor, breathing but unresponsive in the smoke-filled house, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department. She was taken to a local hospital by ambulance but was later transported to the burn unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., where she remains in critical condition.
The 911 call came at around 3 a.m., according to the news release. Smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof of the one-story house.
Two men who escaped the fire were outside in the front yard. They told the firefighters that a woman was trapped in a back bedroom.
Firefighters quickly entered through the front door with a hand-held firehose. Crawling on their hands and knees, the firefighters made their way through the house with zero visibility. They came upon a dog and handed it back to other firefighters to be carried out of the house. They continued on into the back bedroom and found another dog, which was carried out as well. Seconds later is when they found the woman.
The two pet dogs did not survive.
The two men who made it out earlier were also taken to the hospital. Capt. David Thompson said they may have suffered from some smoke inhalation, but their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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