MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis fire crews were busy Wednesday morning after an apartment complex in Parkway Village was intentionally set on fire.
The fire happened at the Camelot Manor Apartments near Getwell and Knight Arnold at 10:22 p.m. Tuesday night.
From the second-floor balcony of his apartment, Deno Spears could easily see the major fire.
“I was sitting right here. I was listening to my music and you could see it right over there. You could see smoke coming up,” Spears said.
What soon turned into a roaring inferno was only a smokey vacant apartment building when Spears first went to investigate.
“I had my phone with me so therefore I thought I gotta call someone. I dialed 911 right off the top,” he said.
When firefighters arrived, they found five vacant units fully involved in the fire. Spears said he went to work alerting his neighbors as additional manpower and equipment were dispatched.
“To let them know, be aware ‘hey we got a fire over here just in case all these units go up.’ And I knocked on that door, that door, this door and I got everybody out,” Spears said.
MFD stated no one living at the complex was injured but an MFD fireman suffered a hand injury and was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition.
Spears captured some fire video on his cell phone and said the building that burned was on the back side of the complex where no one lives and there’s usually very little foot traffic late at night.
“After dark, there’s no one out here walking around and they shouldn’t be walking around. If they are, they up to no good,” he said.
The complex suffered an estimated $450,000 in total damages.
According to MFD, there have been two other working fires at the apartment complex so far this year.
Memphis Fire Department is asking anyone with information regarding the fire to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH or the State Arson Hotline at 1-800-762-3017.
