4 young children killed in apartment fire sparked by rigged wire, investigators say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) – Four young children were killed in an apartment fire in south Memphis Wednesday afternoon.

The children, two boys and two girls, ranged in age from 2 to 5.

“My daughter called me earlier,” said the children’s grandfather, Patrick Davis. “I was over at my mom’s house visiting her. She just called me and all of a sudden said, ‘Daddy, my kids - all of them died.’”

Investigators with the Memphis Fire Department determined an apparently rigged wire sparked an electrical fire between the kitchen and one of the bedrooms.

According to the Memphis Police Department, the children were home alone when the fire started.

Authorities said the father of the children is detained, but no charges have been filed at this time.

“This is just a tragic situation. We’re thankful for the firefighters who ran in to try to save the children and worked diligently to try to save their lives,” Memphis Police Public Information Officer Louis Brownlee said.

The fire department could not say whether the apartment had working smoke detectors.

“They were some little kids, and they are going to be missed by all of us,” Davis said. “I know especially by my daughter.”

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