Two mothers were allegedly at a nightclub in Nashville, Tennessee when a massive fire erupted in an apartment, killing an 8-month-old baby girl and injuring five other children.
Police say the incident took place early Sunday morning when the women, who are ages 23 and 25, were out partying, according to a news release from the city of Nashville.
When Nashville firefighters arrived to Hickory Lake Apartments on Apache Trail at 2 a.m., they discovered “heavy smoke and flames” coming from one of the units.
They quickly sprung into action, rescuing “one person from a third floor balcony.”
Firefighters then ran inside the burning apartment and rescued four other children. They later found another child and transported them all to Vanderbilt Hospital.
The 8-month-old baby girl was pronounced dead on the scene, according to an additional news release from the city of Nashville.
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At this time, police are trying to determine if the mothers hired a babysitter for the night as no adult was present when emergency responders arrived on the scene, the news release states.
The horrific fire was reported by a witness, who said a 6-year-old boy “had run out of the apartment building screaming that his siblings were inside,” according to the news release.
When the mothers returned to the apartment complex, they were met by firefighters and police officers.
The baby girl has since been identified as Jream Jenkins, according to the release.
Her brother, 23 months, remains in critical condition. Police say both of the babies lived at the apartment.
The other children: two boys and two girls, who are ages 6, 4, 2 and 1, remain hospitalized as a result of injuries related to the fire, according to the news release.
The names of the women and the other children have not been revealed to the public.
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The cause of the fire is “undetermined” and the investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Nashville Fire Marshal’s Office, the MNPD’s Youth Services Division, the MPND’s South Precinct Investigations Unit and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, the Metro Nashville Police Department said in the press release.
According to an arson investigator, the fire started when a candle was burning in the room where Jream was found, News Channel 5 Nashville reported.
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The fire stayed contained in the unit, and no one other than the children was harmed.
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Neighbor Emily Hester has since spoken out about the tragedy, telling News Channel 5 Nashville, “That breaks my heart very bad to know a baby has passed in this fire, right here next to me.”
Nadia Garrett, who also lives in the complex, said, “We’re praying for them because that’s something that’s a detriment to anybody.”
“I know that’s something hard to take,” Garrett told the outlet.
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