Faulty Wiring Blamed For Fire That Killed Mother And Toddler

MEMPHIS, TN (localmemphis.com) Investigators say faulty electrical wiring in the attic of a duplex is to blame for a fire that left a mother and her 2-year-old son dead.

It happened about 10:00 a.m. Wednesday on Rosecrest near Third Street in southwest Memphis. The child's father escaped the burning home. Both he and his brother were taken to the hospital. They, along with neighbors, had tried to rescue the mother and child who were trapped inside.

The mother had just given birth to a second child a few days ago. That baby is still in the hospital. This is hitting neighbors extremely hard. They tried to rush inside the burning home to save the mother and toddler, but the fire was just too intense.

"The house was engulfed in flames. There was a man who came through the back of the house in his underwear. He was like, 'there's babies in here, there's babies,'" witness Johnna Brown said.

Brown and her husband tried to help.

"There was no going into the house. It was too far gone," Brown said.

"It was like an explosion. There was fire everywhere," neighbor Robert Marshall said. Marshall lives next door and came running when he heard screaming.

"He said, 'man, my baby and wife is inside.' I said to get em. He said 'I can't,' so I ran back to my house and grabbed a towel and soaked it with water and I ran back over. I wasn't six steps inside and I couldn't see," Marshall said.

The man's 19-year-old brother ran inside after Marshall, but was overcome by the fire. He is hospitalized with bad burns to his face and hands.

"It was way too late. He almost died," Marshall said.

See the original post:
Faulty Wiring Blamed For Fire That Killed Mother And Toddler