Parkridge Medical Center Fire

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Fire Department takes no chances when it comes to “high life hazard” fires.

Fire Chief Phil Hyman explains to me why such a large response was necessary after what officials call a “small” fire took place last night at Parkridge.

A total of 12 fire trucks responded to a call Thursday night at Parkridge Medical Center after officials say a woman lit a cigarette in her hospital room on the second floor, catching fire to the bed, and herself.

Cigarettes and hospital rooms don’t mix.

“Oxygen tanks do fuel fire and fires can grow much, much quicker and we’ve seen that happen time and time again with residents, particularly Patten Towers or any other residential house fire that we’ve had where oxygen tanks were involved,” Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman says.

“They make fire grow much, much quicker and that’s when things can get really dangerous.”

Officials tell us neighboring patients were moved from their rooms and the hospital is currently being cleaned from water damage from the sprinklers.

The response of 12 fire companies to the scene was intense.

“For any kind of high life hazard type business like this, particularly hospitals or any kind of commercial business, we send what we call a commercial response,” Hyman says.

But according to the fire department, standard procedure.

“This gets a minimum of six and we send an additional six just because of the high life hazard.

If we know we have a confirmed working fire with high life hazard we’re going to send at least 12 companies,” Hyman says.

There is no update on the status of the woman.