News Releases

A Hamilton County jury has convicted Joshua Wells, 32, of first degree murder and aggravated arson in the 2016 fire that claimed his mother’s life. Wells intentionally set fire to Kimberly Wells’ home while she was sleeping inside and as smoke and flames spread, she was unable to escape. The guilty verdict came Sunday (7/2/23) after a week-long trial. Wells faces life in prison.

He was indicted in December 2022 when District Attorney Coty Wamp took office, finally moving the case forward in the pursuit for justice for the victim. DA Wamp and Chief Homicide Prosecutor Paul Moyle tried the case before Judge Boyd Patterson.

Security camera video from a neighbor seen by the jury showed a figure go up to the house and start the beginnings of a fire. The figure leaves and then returns to start a bigger fire. Relatives testified that they were certain that it was Joshua Wells in the footage.

On July 13, 2016 at 5:30 AM, Chattanooga firefighters responded to a residential structure fire at 1725 Rubio Street. Flames quickly engulfed the home. Once fire companies responded to the scene, the house had already sustained significant damage. Crews made entry through the front and located Ms. Wells, 44, who was suffering from injuries from the fire. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition and then airlifted to a burn center in Augusta, Georgia. She passed away from injuries sustained in the blaze the following day. CFD investigators spent countless hours working on the arson case and developed Joshua Wells as the suspect. The conviction is the culmination of years of hard work and persistence by our investigators, including Chief Anthony Moore and Captain Andy Waters, who never gave up on the case and tirelessly pushed for it to be prosecuted. District Attorney Wamp said: “The State of Tennessee didn’t forget about Kimberly Wells and neither did the Chattanooga Fire Department.”

During the large storm cell that passed through the area on Sunday afternoon, CFD companies were dispatched to a reported residential fire in the 7700 block of Camelot Lane. Quint 8 arrived on scene and reported heavy smoke showing from the roof. As other companies arrived on scene, an offensive attack was started and crews were able to make their way to the attic and stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the home. It was brought fully under control in approximately 30 minutes. The fire is still under investigation, but was believed to be started by lightning. No one was home during the incident and no injuries were reported. Companies on scene included Quint 8, Ladder 7, Quint 21, Squad 7, Ladder 13, Squad 13, Engine 15, Battalion 2 and Battalion 3 Blue Shift. Firefighters responded to dozens of weather-related calls Sunday night following stormy weather.

The cause of an early morning house fire in East Chattanooga is under investigation. Firefighters have been on the scene for several hours working to fully extinguish the blaze. The call came out 4:17 AM on 6/30/23 to a home in the 3900 block of Meadow Lane. A black column of smoke was visible as crews rushed to the location. Responding Red Shift companies found the residence fully involved on arrival with flames coming out of every window and through the roof. A defensive attack was launched with 2.5” lines. A deck gun was used and then a ladder was positioned for a master stream. At one point, the roof collapsed and the floors crumbled. The structure was unstable and unsafe for firefighters to enter. Companies continued targeting hot spots throughout the morning. The Fire Investigation Division is on the scene, along with Engine 15, Quint 6, Engine 4 and Battalion 3. Red Shift and Blue Shift personnel have worked this fire. EPB and CPD assisted the CFD.

Close call! On 6/23/23 at 5 AM, Squad 19 Green Shift was dispatched on a call involving a tree on a house. They ended up being canceled on that call since there were no injuries or entrapment. While in the 3500 block of Lightfoot Mill Road, the crew came upon a white Toyota Camry that was stuck on the train tracks more than 20 feet from the roadway. S19 immediately asked dispatch to contact the railroad. They did a 360 and came up with a quick plan of action. S19 nosed the truck in close to the front of the vehicle. They then attached the winch to the front of the car around the axle to attempt to pull it off the tracks. The vehicle would not roll over to the top of the tracks so S19 had to use the spreaders to lift the car up far enough to get it over the track. Not knowing if the rail traffic was being stopped in time, they had to work quickly. They made sure that the driver of the vehicle was far enough away as they lifted the car and pulled it at the same time in order to get it off the tracks. CPD had traffic blocked in both directions. Within 2-3 minutes, a train came through on the same track that the vehicle was stuck on. After making sure that the driver of the Camry was alright, S19 turned the scene over to CPD and returned to service. Good job by all!