MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An East Memphis neighborhood was left in shock after a house fire killed a well-known resident over the weekend.
On Sunday, the Memphis Fire Department sent 34 first responders to fight the blaze in the 1200 block of Dogwood Drive. After dousing the flames, authorities began a sweep of the interior of the home and found an unresponsive man in the front bedroom. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Twelve hours after the tragic fire, the smell of ash was still there floating away from the debris. WREG spoke with numerous neighbors who knew the victim, who has not been publicly identified by the fire department pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
They told us he loved to walk up and down the street, and always interacted with people that lived nearby.
“It’s really sad, because I’m so used to seeing him around every day,” said Sherry Sykes. “He’s so respectful, he speaks to me, he cuts people’s yards around here, he’s just a nice guy.”
A cause of death has not been determined, but officials say the fire was caused by careless use of smoking materials in the bedroom.
The home did not have a working smoke detector. All city of Memphis residents can apply for a free smoke detector through the fire department. Click here for more information.
