Brush Fire Near Lookout Mountain Incline Quickly Contained Ahead of Reopening

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) It was a close call on Lookout Mountain Friday morning as firefighters rushed to put out a brush fire near the historic Incline Railway.

Fire crews were called to the scene around 10:30 a.m. after a tree fell onto power lines, sparking flames along the mountainside. Smoke could be seen not far from the tracks — just days before the Incline is set to welcome back riders.

This fire comes as CARTA finalizes preparations to reopen the Incline Railway on Monday, July 14th. The attraction has been closed since December, when a massive wildfire damaged hundreds of feet of track and one of the main cables. Months of repairs and restoration followed.

Nearby business owners Paula Kernea and Jeanne Crawford, who run Mountain Memories, say they and their customers could smell the smoke.

“Customers were in here and they smelled the smoke, so we all went out to see what was going on,” said Crawford. “A tree had fallen over and hit the power line — it sparked some leaves and stuff on the track. It was a lot of excitement.”

Despite the scare, store owners say they’re confident the reopening won’t be delayed.

“It’s all under control,” Kernea said. “We’re going to have an Incline reopening on Monday — and it’s going to be great.”

Chattanooga fire officials confirmed the flames were fully contained and extinguished by 12:30 p.m. No injuries were reported, and no damage was done to the Incline tracks.

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway will reopen to the public as scheduled on Monday, July 14th.