Chattanooga fire and police investigators are working at the scene of an early-morning duplex fire after firefighters found a body inside.
The Chattanooga Fire Department received word of the fire shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday morning and responded with four companies to 1802 Wilcox Blvd.
Station 4 firefighters were the first on the scene. Capt. David Brooks said that the whole front of one side of the duplex was already engulfed in flames at that time, including flames shooting out the windows. The couple who lived in the other side of the duplex did not know if the occupant of the engulfed duplex had made it out or not.
As other fire companies arrived on the scene, the firefighters attacked the fire through the large front window. After partially combating the fire, they crawled through the window while other firefighters knocked in the front door.
Some of the firefighters immediately began searching for occupants while others continued combating the fire. The body of an adult male was soon found on the kitchen floor.
The cause of the death and the fire are both under investigation.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross are providing assistance to the fire victims on the other side of the duplex. Hamilton County EMS also assisted at the scene.
