Fire Victim Says Electrical Wiring Complaints Weren’t Addressed

(Memphis) The victim of an apartment fire in North Memphis claimed she had raised issues with her landlord about electrical wiring in the past.

Dominique Gamble told News Channel 3 one of her walls has been unusually hot in the last two or three months.

 The Memphis Fire Department confirmed the cause of the fire was faulty electrical wiring.

After a fire erupted in Gamble’s apartment on Wednesday afternoon, about four families lost their homes.

“I’m angry right now. I’m just mad,” Gamble said.

But the leasing manager, who had come to inspect the fire damage, told News Channel 3 he had never heard these complaints.

Gamble and her friends said that an electrician had come out, without much success of solving the problem.

Gamble’s family and friends have known about the problem too.

“She’d been calling him, telling him the wall was hot. And I made her move the kids out of the room, because that was the kids’ bedroom,” said one friend.

Whether or not the fire could have been prevented, all victims said they are lucky to be alive.

“I just thank God that we’re all here. That we didn’t burn in the fire,” said Beverly Loverson.

Loverson was cooking in her kitchen next door to Gamble when neighbors banged on the door.

“Hurry up. Get out, get out. There’s smoke. It’s a fire. It’s a fire,” she remembers hearing.

Loverson wanted to see if she could salvage anything, but the fire department tape up the area around her unit. Pictures of family members are likely lost.

“They were all outside yelling and screaming, telling everybody come outside of the apartments,” she said.

On Wednesday night, the Mid-South chapter of the Red Cross helped three of the four displaced families with shelter. Five adults and seven children were given a hotel room, food and clothing. 

The unit where the fire started did have a working smoke detector.

The Memphis Fire Department would like to remind everyone that free smoke detectors are available at the Fire Museum. You can call them at (901) 320-5650.