NEWS RELEASE
Immediate Release
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The Johnson City Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 711 Montgomery Street this morning at 4:16 a.m. Crews remained on the scene until after 9 a.m. doing overhaul and clean-up.
The first arriving crews found the home 50 percent involved. The front of the residence had a heavy concentration of flames. Initial information indicated there were four people in the home at the time of the fire. The occupants had evacuated upon arrival of the initial alarm companies.
Washington County / Johnson City EMS transported two victims to the Johnson City Medical Center. The exact extent of the injuries are not know at this time; however, they are not thought to be life threatening. No other information is being released at this time regarding the victims. More information maybe available later today.
There were unconfirmed reports that the occupants evacuated the building by jumping from the second-story window. If this occurred, it was prior to the arrival of the fire department.
"Once we knew everyone was out of the structure, we began an exterior attack on the fire," advised Lt. Rick Arnold. "We were able to knock the fire down enough that we could eventual make entry," Arnold stated.
Crews were able to extinguish the flames, but the home was a total loss. The Red Cross has been contacted and will be working with the victims.
The initial alarm assignment was two engine companies, the manpower company, a ladder company, and the shift supervisor. Three additional engine companies, the rehab unit, and training personnel responded. The Operations Assistant Chief and Administrative Assistant Chief also responded along with two members of the Fire Marshals Division. A total of 24 personnel responded to the incident.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Assistant Fire Marshal Lori Ratliff and Assistant Fire Marshal Sam McLain are working to determine a cause at this time.
No firefighters were injured during the fire. The Johnson City Street Department also responded to salt the roadways that were iced over from the fire suppression activities.
Please contact Assistant Fire Marshal Lori Ratliff (423)483-5832, Captain Mark Scott (423)483-5829, or Lieutenant Rick Arnold (423)483-5816 for more information.
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