Fire destroys dozens of apartments Easter weekend

An entire block of two-story apartment buildings were fully engulfed in flames, with thick smoke being blown by strong winds. Police closed sections of nearby roads because of the smoke, but the airport was not affected.

Kim Lawson, deputy chief for the Nashville Fire Department, said the cause of the fire “looks as though it may have been cooking-related. It’s still very much under investigation.”

Two buildings with 64 total units were completely destroyed by fire, while another 10 apartments in a third building were damaged by smoke and water, fire department spokesman Charles Shannon said.

A woman was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with smoke inhalation and was in stable condition, hospital staff said. Two firefighters also suffered minor injuries.

Dozens of fire trucks and more than 100 firefighters were fighting the blaze, which was reported at 3:15 p.m. They started fighting the fire inside the building, but it spread so rapidly they had to retreat outside.

The flames had gone down by 5:30 p.m., but fire trucks were still spraying water on the smoldering shell of one of the buildings.

The Red Cross opened a shelter for displaced residents at nearby Trinity Nazarene Church, spokesman Roger Lagreca said. The organization will provide hot meals, financial assistance and counseling for dozens of people left homeless for the Easter weekend.

It snowed in some parts of Nashville on Friday afternoon, and temperatures near freezing were forecast for Friday night. Many of the apartment residents were forced to flee without warm clothing or belongings.

Jeffrey Earnest, 45, lived in the complex for over seven years and he believed the fire started a few doors down from his apartment.

“I was half asleep when someone came banging on my door yelling ‘fire.’ I grabbed a pair of pants and a coat and my wallet and ran outside,” he said, while waiting at the church to speak with Red Cross officials.

He said he didn’t have any family in the area and needed help finding a place to stay.

“It’s just devastating, but it’s one of those things. You’ve got to roll with the punches,” he said.