4 young kids die when fire tears through TN apartment. ‘Hurting my whole family’
.jpeg "Four young children died in a fire caused by rigged wiring inside an apartment in Memphis, Tennessee, fire officials say.")
Four children, including a 2-year-old, died after a fire ravaged their family’s apartment in Tennessee, police and fire officials say.
Crews responded at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, to find the building burning “with heavy smoke showing,” according to the Memphis Fire Department.
The kids, all younger than 7, were found unresponsive in a back bedroom and died at the scene, firefighters said. Two of them were 4 years- old, one was 6, and the youngest was 2, firefighters told The Commercial Appeal.
Family members said one of the children celebrated a birthday the day before, WREG reported.
“I’m so hurt and sad that all of them had to go,” the children’s great-grandma told the station. “And this was a sad way for them to go. Four children. I can’t understand it. But God, he knows best.”
Officials said it took about 50 firefighters to get the flames under control. In all, the fire caused an estimated $52,000 in damage, according to a news release.
An investigation determined the fire was likely sparked by rigged wiring inside the apartment, a fire spokesperson told WMC.
The blaze reportedly started between the kitchen and a bedroom, department officials told McClatchy News. Authorities said it’s unclear if the home had a working smoke alarm.
A man, identified in news reports as the children’s father, was detained, but no charges have been filed, a police spokesperson told McClatchy News.
Their grandfather, Patrick Davis, said the father was watching the children while their mother ran errands, WREG reported.
“It hurt me to see my daughter hurting and it hurts me, and it’s hurting my whole family,” Davis told the station.
This story was originally published June 1, 2023 at 12:02 PM.