Dubbed as the deadliest fire in Memphis, the incident claimed nine lives, six of which are children. Accordingly, this is the deadliest fire in the area since the 1920s.
Three adults and nine children were killed at the South Memphis home on Monday morning. The home is located at the 1100 block of Severson. According to reports, there were a total of seven children inside the burned home. One was pulled out from the home and was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
The father of the seven children, Ernest Jett Jr., said in a statement that he does not know what to say and feel and that his children were the best and the most loving kids. The three adults killed in the fire were identified as 56-year-old Carol Collier, 61-year-old Eloise Futrell, and 27-year-old LaKisha Ward.
The children were identified as 17-year-old Angel Mitchell, nine-year-old Ernest Jett III, eight-year-old Diamond Jett, seven-year-old Alonzo Ward, five-year-old Kierra Jett, and two-year-old Precious Rose Jett. The child at the hospital was identified as seven-year-old Cameron Hollingsworth, The Tennessean reports.
Accordingly, the fire began at around 1:23 A.M. or earlier after one of the victims called 911, The Washington Post recounts. The Memphis Fire Department (MFD) arrived four minutes later and found smoke coming from the one-story home.
When they broke in, they were greeted by a heavy smoke and a total of 10 people were pulled out. Three adults and four children were pronounced dead at the scene while three of the children were taken to the hospital. Only one survived among the three. He is said to be on life support. It is believed that the family was trapped due to the security bars on the windows.
Most victims reportedly suffered from some inhalation while others also suffered burns. MFD inspectors said in a statement that the home had a working smoke detector and that the fire broke out due to a malfunctioning power cord to an air-conditioning unit. One of the family members said that Ward, mother to one of the children, ironed the kids' clothes for school the next day.
Ernest Jett Jr. reportedly went to a store but when he came back the fire engulfed the home and took the lives of his wife and his children.
