Chattanooga Kitchen Fire Raises Eyebrows

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – When a stove at Woodlawn Apartments went up in flames, neighbors used three portable fire extinguishers to get it out.

Starrkyshia Braswell, a tenant, says, "A lot of smoke. I seen everyone just standing outside."

Since no one was injured, Braswell hasn’t thought twice about the fire.

Well, that was until we told her all but one window inside the apartment had been screwed shut.

Braswell adds, "It shocked me for a second because I haven’t been to go into anyone else’s apartment, but to me it shocked me because if they are screwed shut, then it is a hazard for cases like the fire, no one can get out."

After firefighters put out the hot spots, they went to ventilate the room.

That’s when they noticed the windows.

Bruce Garner with the Chattanooga Fire Department, says, "Actually, we don’t know why they had the windows screwed shut. We just know from a fire perspective, that’s really unacceptable."

We asked the apartment manger why the windows were screwed shut.

She says she didn’t know, but did say it’s their policy to use fingertip locks in all apartments.

Garner adds, "The key factor here is that you need to have two ways out of every room and that includes perhaps a window."

Now, we were not allowed into any of the apartments, but fire officials tell us because of their discovery inspectors with the fire marshal’s office will soon be paying a visit.

Garner adds, "The fire marshals office will be sending some people, inspectors over to that complex in the near future to conduct a full inspection to make sure that’s not being done elsewhere in that complex."

In the meantime, some residents have their eyebrows raised.