MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fire tore through a Hickory Hill apartment building early Friday morning.
Firefighters were on the scene at The Arbors of Hickory Ridge near Knight Arnold and Ridgeway around 4 a.m. Heavy flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the three-story complex.
Lt. Wayne Cooke with Memphis Fire Department said there were no injuries related to the fire. One person was taken to a hospital with injuries unrelated to the fire.
Residents were able to evacuate, Cooke said. The building has 24 units and three were vacant. The fire department and the Red Cross are working to get assistance for families who are displaced by the fire.
Tenants watched helplessly as the chaos unfolded and the blaze destroyed everything in its path.
Tony Young says he got a very alarming call from his son who was inside the building when the fire broke out.
“He said, ‘Daddy the floor is real real hot.’ He said he tried to get out the patio but the fire had taken over the patio porch. I told him to run to the front door as fast as he could,” Young said.
Young says his son was able to get himself and his girlfriend out safely and then ran to the other units to warn his neighbors.
Several residents told us the fire started in one of the units where a tenant was possibly working on a welding project overnight. Those same people say they strongly believe that project may have contributed to the blaze.
They say this belief led to a physical altercation between residents.
“Everybody was getting on him because we think you started the fire,” Jarius Young said. “You’re asking for help but you’re not trying to knock on anybody’s door. That isn’t right.”
Friday afternoon, the fire department confirmed the residents’ theory. The fire department says a tenant was welding and ignited “several combustible items.”
The fire has been ruled as accidental.
