Authorities in Tennessee are investigating after an apartment fire killed an 8-month-old girl and injured five other children as their mothers were out at a nightclub, according to reports.
The Nashville Tennessean reports that Jream Jenkins died, and her 23-month-old brother and four other children—ages 6, 4, 2, and 1—were found injured at the Antioch apartment at 2 a.m. The deceased girl’s brother was reportedly listed in critical condition while the other four children were also hospitalized.
Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said a bystander called 911 after seeing the blaze and spotting a 6-year-old running out of the apartment screaming. WTVF reported that the fire occurred at the apartment where Jenkins and her brother lived. The other four children reportedly live in Linden.
According to the news station, firefighters rescued a child from a third-floor balcony while Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene. An arson investigator reportedly confirmed that the fire started in a corner where a candle was burning.
While police said the children’s mothers, ages 23 and 25, were at a nightclub when the blaze occurred, the mothers reportedly claimed they had arranged for a babysitter to stay with the children. The Tennessean reported that police said the babysitter wasn’t at the scene and that they have not been able to corroborate the women’s claims.
Nightmares all I hear is my kids I can’t sleep I can’t take this
Posted by Kween Kandi on Monday, July 8, 2019
A woman claiming to be Jenkins’ mother has taken to Facebook in light of Jenkins’ death, contradicting many claims made by police and the media regarding Sunday’s incident. In a since-deleted video, she claimed people running a GoFundMe for Jenkins don’t represent her family and that she was the one to call the ambulance that night, according to the Tennessean.
“Y’all Stop Using My F**king Child For Clout I Made A Mistake & I’m The Only One Gotta Deal w/ It We Know What Happen My Baby Is In Heaven At Peace She Was Loved & Taken GREAT CARE OF!” she wrote in one post.
WTVF reported that most of the damage from the fire was contained to the one unit but roughly a dozen units suffered water or smoke damage.
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[Featured image: Jream Jenkins/GoFundMe]
