CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Early Friday evening, a local family's duplex went up in flames, losing everything.
At 4:36 PM, firefighters responded to a duplex in the 3200 block of Rosemont Drive off S. Seminole Drive.
The report stated that flames had been coming from the residential structure.
When the residents of the structure arrived home, they found the fire engulfing the first and second floors.
We were able to speak with the family about this incident, who say they lost everything.
Mike Blevins, the renter, recalls the events before the fire began. "We'd come home from work, and we went to the store for some groceries. We came back, and it was a blaze."
Firefighters began attacking the fire with full force.
First responders say that downed, live power lines sparked and created dangers on the scene, so crews were removed from the structure, and defensive operations got underway.
Once the Chattanooga Fire Department was able to gain its way back inside, they began to fight the flames again.
However, when there was a partial collapse of the front porch, everyone was removed from the house.
Heavy equipment was brought out to aid in completely extinguishing the fire after several hours of CFD's efforts.
The Blevins family carefully examined what was left of their home.
Blevins' wife holds back tears as she says they lost so much in the fire, including their dog, Ziggy.
"My mother died here three years ago," Blevins explains. "We were her caregivers for 10 years, her ashes and all her personal belongings, and my little dog. The priceless things you won't get back. Everything else is material. It's the stuff like that, it hurts."
Kalia Daniel, a nearby neighbor, said that she watched first responders handle the fire.
"I'm down the hill, like on the ridge, and you can see a lot, a lot of smoke in here. It was really terrifying. It was really scary."
Due to the events destroying so many essential items, along with their home, the family has set up a GoFundMe, where they're asking for support from the community.
"I would hate it to happen to anybody else," Blevins adds, "and we appreciate anybody that helps."