Earlier today, two vehicles were engulfed in flames on Bartlett Road, drawing the attention of the Memphis Police Department as well as local residents and media. FOX13 reported that officers arrived on the scene around 5:30 a.m. to what was initially described as a crash, though the cars appeared to be parked, not indicating any injuries at the time.
Meanwhile, a separate report from Action News 5 noted that the call came through at approximately 5:40 a.m. and mentioned the vehicles catching fire after a crash, but as of yet, no information regarding potential injuries has been released as the situation is under investigation, residents and authorities are piecing together the details of what transpired in the early hours when the blazes were sparked.
Not long after the incident, new evidence came to light through an interview with local residents and employees at the Summereast Apartments in Berclair. WREG disclosed that the fire, reported at 5:37 a.m. near Biscoe Avenue, might have been the result of an intentional act rather than an accident. An area woman recounted hearing "like two big booms" before seeing one of the cars ablaze. According to her, video footage obtained from the apartment complex's employees appears to show a man dousing one of the vehicles with a liquid and setting it on fire, leading to the second car's ignition.
The owner of one of the cars implicated her ex-boyfriend, who allegedly has a violent past, claiming he was responsible for setting her car on fire, leaving her without transportation for work; she's now grappling with her next steps, as she mulls over the repercussions of this purportedly deliberate attack. "I hate that for her because you know it’s hard out here to get around," said a sympathetic witness in a statement recorded by WREG, as the community grapples with the destructive aftermath and hopes for justice, echoing a sentiment of disbelief at the callousness of the act with another local stating "It just shows they have no conscience or heart."
