Firefighters say Jackson apartment complex fire suspicious
[gtxvideo vid=”mTAU0Wb1″ playlist=”” pid=”OTSe9U1y” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/mTAU0Wb1.jpg” vtitle=”Camellia Trace Fire 6”]
NORTH JACKSON — Arson investigators work to determine what sparked a fire at a north Jackson apartment complex. Jackson Fire Department Chief Max Stewart said it is suspicious. Crews put out a fire at Camellia Trace Apartments on Monday. Investigators said the flames damaged a unit and three vehicles. “It’s just — it’s a lot. It’s scary, you know. What causes something that big that fast?” Kelli Ladymon, a north Jackson resident, said. Firefighters said they got the call around 5:45 a.m. Monday. Investigators said a small fire broke out at the door of one of the apartments and that residents put it out with a fire extinguisher. “They’ll have to replace the door and the trim,” Stewart said. Stewart said three nearby vehicles also caught fire, something he said is suspicious. “We believe that the one in the center was on fire and spread to the other two,” Stewart said. One of the residents at the complex said the smoke was so thick he and his wife had to use the balcony to escape their third-floor apartment. The resident said they used sheets and a blanket to get to the ground. Chief Stewart said the fire marshal and an arson investigator with the police department are looking into the cause. “Probably take all of my possessions out of my car cause I usually leave stuff in there, but yeah, I’ll probably take everything out from now on,” Ladymon said. Stewart said no one was hurt as far as he knows. The cause remains under investigation. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 731-424-TIPS (8477).
