A 38-year-old Rossville man died Tuesday morning after flammable vapors from spray foam insulation ignited inside a small outbuilding off Alton Terrace Spur, erupting into what fire officials called a sudden, violent flash fire. Michael James Carney was found dead inside the structure on Alton Terrace Spur after firefighters put out the blaze.
Firefighters responded to 116 Alton Terrace Spur in Rossville around 8:25 a.m. Tuesday, according to chattooga1180.com, after a neighbor reported the fire. A separate account from newschannel9.com states that a neighbor called 911 around 8:15 a.m. after spotting the flames; the two outlets give differing times for when the emergency call came in. When crews arrived, they found heavy flames coming from the small outbuilding near the road, per the same account from chattooga1180.com.
After extinguishing the fire, firefighters discovered Carney's body inside, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. A neighbor told investigators that Carney had entered the building shortly before the fire occurred, the report notes.
Investigators Point to Insulation Vapors, Not an Explosion
Investigators determined the fire was accidental and resulted from the application of spray foam insulation in an enclosed space without adequate ventilation, the Times Free Press reports. Walker County Fire Marshal Jason Cruise attributed the blaze to flammable vapors that accumulated in the confined area and ignited from an unconfirmed heat source, according to the newspaper's account.
Officials described the resulting ignition as a sudden, violent flash fire rather than an explosion, the Times Free Press reports, characterizing it as a rapid, intense ignition of flammable vapors. A separate chattooga1180.com report said neighbors described hearing an explosion, but also reported that Cruise clarified it was not an explosion.
First Fire Death of the Year in Walker County
Carney's death marked Walker County's first fire-related fatality of 2026, per chattooga1180.com. An autopsy will be conducted to determine Carney's exact cause of death, the outlet reports, though results had not been released as of Tuesday.
Spray foam insulation hazards have drawn attention beyond this single incident. OSHA has identified fatalities and incidents involving fire or explosions tied to isocyanate-containing materials, including the death of a Springfield, Massachusetts worker whose spray foam chemicals caught fire in a home attic. Separately, the EPA has noted that dust and airborne chemicals from spray foam can linger in a building until it is properly ventilated and cleaned, and that heat-generating activity near the foam can generate additional hazardous byproducts.
