Four young children tragically lost their lives when a fire swept through their apartment building in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Memphis Fire Department raced to the scene of a catastrophic fire that consumed an apartment complex on East Alston Avenue in the early afternoon hours of May 31. The emergency services received the alarm call at about 3 pm. According to the Fire Department the accident occurred due to rigged wiring. Power to the apartment had been cut off since April and the family had been in the process of being evicted.

Firefighters, arriving roughly half an hour into the inferno, discovered the four children in a back bedroom of the apartment. Patrick Davis, the grandfather of the children, who were aged one, three, four and five, confirmed their identities.

As the fire’s origin is under investigation by the authorities, the father of the children has been detained. His name has not been released to the public. According to witness statements, he confessed to having left the apartment for a short while to handle a nearby errand. He has yet to be charged with any crimes related to the tragic incident.

One bystander, passing by with her boyfriend, pulled over their vehicle to offer help. A group of children at the scene told them that their attempts to call 911 had been unsuccessful. She eventually made contact with the children’s mother through Facebook, notifying her of the heartrending situation at home. Roughly 50 firefighters battled through the heavy smoke and had the fire under control by 5 pm, but not before it caused an estimated $52,000 in damages.

Apart from the devastating loss of the children, no other injuries were reported. In the aftermath, the great-grandmother of the children shared her incomprehensible grief and disbelief over the loss of her four great-grandchildren in such a terrible incident.