MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Investigators are trying to find out what caused a fire that took two young lives in Whitehaven.
The fire happened Saturday afternoon at an apartment complex off East Shelby Drive.
Memphis Fire Department Chief Gina Sweat said two young children died after they were trapped inside.
A family friend says the 2-year-old boy and girl were twins.
“It’s very sad for us, but it’s even more sad for the families that are dealing with such a terrible tragedy at such a young age,” Chief Sweat said.
The children’s father, who was also home at the time of the fire, is recovering in the hospital from smoke inhalation.
“The fire was fast and furious. It was just coming out of the windows and coming out of the door,” neighbor Frances Brown said.
Firefighters arrived at the apartments a little bit before 3 p.m. and got it under control 20 minutes later.
On Monday, code enforcement officers were marking the charred building as too dangerous to enter.
One woman told us off camera she lost all of her belongings in the flames, but she said no material item compares to the young lives that were taken.
“It just hurts my heart that there were two kids that were in this house and lost there lives,” said Reginald Miller, who drove by the scene.
The fire’s said to have started in the kitchen.
Firefighters say they’re still piecing together what happened and will interview the father when he gets better.
They want to remind people they’ll come put smoke alarms in your home for free and will also do a free home inspection to make sure there aren’t any fire hazards.
You can stop by any fire station, visit their website or call 901-636-5650 to schedule a time.
“I don’t think there’s anything tougher that they deal with than the loss of a life of a small child,” Chief Sweat said.
The Red Cross is helping out four families affected by the fire.
We’ll let you know when we find out more.
