Alexian Village Dining Hall And Kitchen Damaged By Fire; Residents Are Temporarily Evacuated

Shortly after strong thunderstorms rolled in on top of Signal Mountain on Monday, a 911 call was made reporting a possible lightning strike at Alexian Village in the dining hall/main kitchen building.

The Signal Mountain Fire Department responded at 9:04 a.m. and arrived on the scene and received a report from Alexian maintenance personnel. He informed fire officials heavy smoke coming from inside the kitchen/dining hall building.

Since this was a three-alarm fire, a large mutual aid response was requested by Signal Mountain FD. Fire agencies responded included Walden’s Ridge Emergency Services, Chattanooga FD, Red Bank FD, Dallas Bay VFD, Dunlap FD, Mutual Chief Eric Mitchell and Dewey Woody responded to the scene with manpower. Catoosa County and East Ridge stood by at Signal Mountain fire stations for any additional emergency calls.

Chief Larry Sloan, Signal Mountain FD, confirmed to dispatch heavy smoke coming from the roofline above the kitchen/dining hall building. Fire officials requested an evacuation of 450 Alexian Village residents to evacuate their apartments in case the fire had spread to adjacent buildings.

Firefighters worked quickly to contain the fire and fire command reported fire under control at 10:42 a.m. No injuries were reported but HCEMS was on the scene for any potential injuries to fire personnel.

Since the dining hall and the kitchen received heavy fire and water damage, the American Red Cross responded to the scene to provide water and snacks temporarily while residents waited to return to their apartments.

Damages unknown at this time. Signal Mountain Fire Chief Larry Sloan will request a fire investigation on this building to confirm if this fire started by a lightning strike.

At 11:26 a.m., fire officials allowed the electricity to be restored to all Alexian apartments except the kitchen/dining hall building.