9 killed, including 5 children, after Memphis house fire

The Latest: 9 dead in early morning Memphis house fire

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The Latest on a fatal house fire in Memphis: (all times local):

Chief Sweat on our firefighters on the scene: "You could feel the heavy in their hearts." pic.twitter.com/t8dOvCd7UE

— Mayor Jim Strickland (@MayorMemphis) September 12, 2016

9:25 a.m.

Fire officials in Tennessee say nine people – four adults and five children – have died after a blaze burned a home in Memphis.

Memphis Fire Director Gina Sweat said four adults and three children died at the scene early Monday. Two other children died after being taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in extremely critical condition. Sweat said another child is fighting for life.

Fire Department Lt. Wayne Cook said the first firefighters who arrived at the scene about 1:30 a.m. saw smoking coming out of the one-story home where a family of 10 lived. He said it took about 15 minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

Officials are trying to determine what caused the fire.

Sweat said it’s the most deaths in a single fire in the city since the 1920s.

Updated Info: 5 children and 4 adults killed in South Memphis house fire.
Numbers have varied between family & MFD https://t.co/U8EjAru1Xk

— WREG News Channel 3 (@3onyourside) September 12, 2016

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9:15 a.m.

Memphis Fire Director Gina Sweat says 9 people are dead after an early morning house fire.

She says one child is fighting for life in a hospital.

Fire officials had said earlier that at least seven people perished after a blaze enveloped the home early Monday.

Fire Department Lt. Wayne Cooke said at the time that four adults and three children were dead and at least three other children were taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in “extremely critical condition.”

Cook said the first firefighters who arrived at the scene about 1:30 a.m. saw smoking coming out of the one-story home where a family of 10 lived. It took about 15 minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

Officials are trying to determine what caused the fire.

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8:50 a.m.

Fire officials in Tennessee say at least seven people are dead after a blaze enveloped a home in Memphis.

Fire Department Lt. Wayne Cooke says four adults and three children died at the scene early Monday and at least three other children were taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in “extremely critical condition.”

Cook said the first firefighters who arrived at the scene about 1:30 a.m. saw smoking coming out of the one-story home where a family of 10 lived. It took about 15 minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

Officials are trying to determine what caused the fire.

Cook, a longtime firefighter, said he’s never seen that many victims in one location.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee officials are trying to determine the cause of a house fire that killed four adults and three children in Memphis and injured three others.

Local news outlets report that the fire began 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Lt. Wayne Cooke of the Memphis Fire Department says a family of 10 lived in the house. Fire officials say four adults and three children died at the scene. Three other children were taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in “extremely critical condition.”

It took about 15 minutes for firefighters to put out the fire.

It’s unclear what started the fire or if the home had a working smoke detector.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)