Neighbors react after 4 found dead in Little Rock fire

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Four people were found dead inside a Little Rock home that caught fire Friday morning.

According to the city police and fire departments, it started about 1:30 A.M. at 4800 Greenfield Drive, and the cause of the blaze is being investigated.

Little Rock Code Enforcement condemned and boarded up the home Friday afternoon as neighbors watched. One of those neighbors was Destiny Davenport, who called 911.

"All I could do was yell and scream 'Their house was on fire', and I called 911 immediately. After I called 911, the fire just grew. There wasn't a chance of even anyone being saved," Davenport recalled.

Davenport and her four children awoke when her dog started barking, and she saw the fire on her security camera. She shared the footage but admitted she didn't want to look at it anymore.

"It's devastating. It gets more devastating just to know that people were in that house. We just had to watch it burn to shreds and couldn't do anything," Davenport said.

She admitted she didn't even know there were four people in that home before their lives went up in smoke.

"The windows just started popping. You could hear the power lines. All the lights went out on the corner and up our street," Davenport said. "Never had a tragedy like this in the neighborhood ever."

Robert Dare lives on the other side of the corner across the street from the fire. He said it was multiple fire trucks that woke him up. He has lived across the house which burned for 54 years.

"It was the first one in the neighborhood to be built, and it looks like the first one to go," Dare said.

Although great friends with the previous owner and builder of the home, he regrets not knowing those who were found burned by the blaze better.

"Four people, my God. I didn't even know what their names were, and we used to know everybody," Dare admitted.

In a written statement Friday, Little Rock Police stated the remains have been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to positively identify each victim and determine a cause of death.

Once each autopsy is complete, authorities will determine where their investigation goes next.

Although there is no confirmed cause of the death for any victim at this time, Davenport, Dare, and other neighbors encourage anyone who hears their words to check their smoke detectors and ensure they are in working order.

"Stay prayed up and always love your loved ones because you never know when the end comes. The last time you see the people you love. It could be tragedy like that that takes you away," Davenport said.

According to the homeowner nearest to the destroyed house, they received no damage. Over Friday night they were offered to stay across thanks to the hospitality of a neighbor.

from KARK https://ift.tt/MfHmsth