CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Firefighters rescued nine people from a smoky apartment building late Tuesday after a fire broke out on Tunnel Boulevard.
The fire was reported at 11:29 p.m. Tuesday night. Emergency dispatchers received frantic 911 calls from residents who said heavy smoke had filled the building, leaving some unable to escape through hallways and stairwells.
Several residents fled to their balconies to avoid the smoke. Among them was a family with small children trapped on a third-floor balcony, according to fire officials.
The Chattanooga Fire Department called a second alarm because of the reported entrapments, bringing additional firefighters and equipment to the scene…