MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some residents at the Fox Hollow Town Homes told WREG they were fed up with eight dilapidated, charred units that were gathering trash.
“I can’t even let my grandkids out to play,” resident Gloria Burt said.
She said she has lived at Fox Hollow nine years.
Behind Burt’s house were the charred units in the 4800 block of Winchester Road.
Some of the homes were partially caved in and there was a collection of mattresses, other furniture and random trash piled up.
“It’s too filthy. It’s filthy,” Burt said. “If you walk over there, you see hanging spiders and ants and bugs and raccoons come out, and you know, rats. I’m not letting my babies out there.”
It’s unclear exactly when the fire happened.
The Fox Hollow Homeowners Association thought the fire happened last year, but other residents told WREG it was years ago.
The Memphis Fire Department said it would also look through its records to find the exact date.
“I had my whole house sprayed. I had stuff put down outside and everything, because I guess being by so much trash over there, you have mice and stuff running through here,” resident Patrice Gayden said.
Past the mess, there was a notice from the City from April that notified an owner of one of the homes that the unit was condemned.
It said he failed to comply and the City planned to knock it down.
WREG tried to track down the man at another address, but no one answered the door.
The Fox Hollow Homeowners Association Managing Agent Harry Green said the fact that each of the homes had a different owner slowed the process down.
Green said the Homeowners Association has reached out to owners to get them to follow up with the City.
After WREG’s story aired, the City issued the following statement:
“In regards to your media inquiry, the City of Memphis is aware of the ongoing concerns associated with (7) units located within the Fox Hollow Townhomes. City inspectors began the condemnation process for units 4885, 4887, 4891, 4893, 4895, 4899, and 4901 in 2014.”
It went on to say that many of the units were currently in tax sales due to unpaid taxes.
“The condemnation procedures begin with a title search. Once the title search is done, all appropriate parties are notified by the “First Notice” of condemnation by certified mail that the structure must be repaired or demolished. If this order is not complied with, all appropriate parties are notified by certified mail that a condemnation hearing will be held.”
