Chattanooga Pulse

The victim in last night’s house fire at 1908 E. 32nd Street remains in critical condition today at Erlanger Medical Center.  Philex Suttles (45) is suffering from burns and severe smoke inhalation, and doctors have yet to determine whether or not he will be transferred to a hospital that has a burn unit.

The fire broke out around 10:30 Monday night.  A neighbor, Charles Eisele, noticed smoke coming from Mr. Suttles’ home.  Mr. Eisele ran over to the house and banged on the door, but no one responded.  Chattanooga firefighters arrived moments later and forced their way inside.  Senior Firefighter Charlie Thompson and Firefighter Patrick Mansfield found Mr. Suttles on the floor, picked him up and carried him out of the burning structure.  The victim was then handed off to paramedics with Hamilton County EMS, who transported him to Erlanger.

Lieutenant Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire will be ruled accidental.  Lt. Moore said Mr. Suttles was cooking french fries on the kitchen stove and apparently fell asleep in his bedroom.  Aside from the mistake of leaving something cooking on the stove unattended, Lt. Moore said that if there had been at least one working smoke alarm in the house, Mr. Suttles might not be in the hospital today, fighting for his life.