Four young children tragically lost their lives when a fire swept through their apartment building in Memphis, Tennessee.
Emergency services were summoned to a raging fire at an apartment complex on East Alston Avenue in Memphis. The first distress call was received around 3 pm on the afternoon of May 31. According to the Memphis Fire Department, the fire was caused by rigged wiring. Electricity to the apartment had been shut off in April but a neighbor said the family did have lights on and was getting power from somewhere. The landlord also said the family was in eviction proceedings for non-payment of rent.
Arriving on the scene approximately 30 minutes after the start of the fire, firefighters found four children in a back bedroom. Their ages – one, three, four and five – were confirmed by the grieving grandfather, Patrick Davis.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances of the fire, with the children’s father being held by the authorities. His name has not been disclosed, but it’s reported that he admitted to a witness that he had stepped out briefly to run an errand in the vicinity.
A passing eyewitness and her boyfriend, who spotted the fire, said the children attempted to call 911 but were unable to get through. The woman managed to contact the children’s mother on Facebook, informing her of the appalling circumstances at home. Despite battling heavy smoke, about 50 firefighters managed to quell the fire by 5 pm, although not before an estimated $52,000 of damage was done to the property.
No other injuries were reported, aside from the devastating loss of the four children. Reflecting on the tragedy, the great-grandmother of the children spoke of her profound sorrow and disbelief at the tragic loss of her four great-grandchildren.