Email

Print

This morning, we got a chance to speak with the Patt family from upstairs who had to run out of the building when they smelled and saw thick plumes of smoke coming through the flooring of their home. Here's what Kendra Timmons had to say about that brief moment of panic that they experienced:

Kendra Timmons - Fire Victim
"About a quarter past 11 last night, I watching TV in my living room with my kids, and we just started to smell smoke, like something was burning. So, I just started trying to disconnect the [gas] tank, and get it out. Everyone got out safely. Nobody was hurt. What I saw was that there was thick, black smoke coming up from the floor. We were starting to cough, and so we exited. Later on, I learned that the fire started in the back, on the lower floor, and it damaged the rooms to the back, and my bathroom."

"My son and my girls' belonging was burnt. They're books that I got for school. For my room and the hall, it's mostly water damage, but the rooms in the back, everything was burned completely."

Reporter
"Unfortunately, that makes it that you cannot stay here, right?"

Kendra Timmons
"No sir, we have to find somewhere to rent. At the moment, my kids are at my mom's, so, I just need to find somewhere to rent, and then, I'll be okay."

As you heard, the family of five lost a lot of their belongings in the fire. They must now find somewhere new to live, while they try to replace everything they lost in the blaze. The family couldn't figure what caused the fire and neither can the National Fire Service. The Fire Department's Station Supervisor explained why it's still a mystery:

Kenneth Mortis - Station Supervisor, National Fire Service
"We learned that the upper [flat] of the 2-story building was occupied by a family of 5, primarily the Patt family, who informed us that they were in the living room, having family time, and watching TV when they were alerted by the smell of smoke. Mr. Patt continued to inform us that upon investigation, he saw smoke coming from the seams of the flooring, which was when his attention was drawn to where his bed, divided by a wall that houses the bathroom, was located. From there, he said that he could have seen fire coming from below. When we spoke to the sole occupant, which actually occupied only 1 room in the entire downstairs, 54-year-old Ms. Shirley, she stated that she had left the building, or her room of residence on Sunday, at approximately 4 p.m., and had not returned since. She was later informed, or she became knowledgeable of the fire when the fire was actually in progress."

"We learned that this building had only one electrical meter, meaning that the meter belonged only to the Patt family upstairs. Seeing that the owner, the direct owner of the building itself had recently passed, there was no need for the lower portion to be energized with electricity. So, we know for a fact that the downstairs had no electricity. So, we can rule out [an] electrical [source] as the cause of the fire. Based on what Ms. Shirley mentioned, she wasn't at home, since 4 p.m. in the afternoon, we have no reason to conclude that there was a candle of any sort being left unattended. Miss Shirley is not in a position to do any cooking, as she is basically a peddler who tries to go about making her daily means. It is an unfortunate case that in this particular fire, due to lack of information, the fire department literally cannot conclude a cause of the fire."

At this time, the investigators have no reason to suspect arson. They do note that the yard is unfenced, and therefore unsecured, which makes that kind of malicious intent a possibility. The investigators intend to probe a bit deeper with the objective of trying to bring this case to a complete close.