A fire that broke out inside a second-floor apartment near Jefferson Highway in Kenner on Wednesday night left 34 families without a place to sleep; the fire was in a building containing 11 apartments. No injuries were reported, but officials shut off electrical power across the entire property as a precaution, forcing every household in the complex out of their homes.
The fire started around 7:04 p.m. Wednesday in the 2400 block of Reverend Richard Wilson Drive, according to Fox 8. Crews arrived within three minutes of the fire starting, officials told the station, and firefighters worked the scene for about an hour and a half before bringing it under control. The blaze was contained to an 11-unit building, but as WZRH-FM reported, the decision to cut power to the whole property meant all 34 families across the complex had to be displaced rather than just those in the damaged building.
Why One Unit's Fire Grounded an Entire Complex
Why One Unit's Fire Grounded an Entire Complex The power shutdown meant families in undamaged apartments were still told to leave. Kenner Fire Department Chief of Administration Jason Dyer confirmed the displacement figure, and the same station's report noted that the American Red Cross and Jefferson Parish officials are now coordinating directly to make sure every displaced resident gets temporary housing and emergency relief.
Kenner Fire Station 36 is at 2000 Reverend Richard Wilson Drive, on the same street as the fire, according to municipal records from the City of Kenner. That station houses Engine 368 and District Chief 350. Citywide, the Kenner Fire Department runs six neighborhood stations under Fire Chief Terence Morris, per the city's official records.
A Street With a History of Fires
This is not the first time fire crews have been called to this stretch of road. NOLA.com documented a previous structure fire in the same 2400 block of Reverend Richard Wilson Drive in May 2023, when firefighters rescued animals from a burning complex. Further down the corridor, the Old Kenner High School at 1601 Reverend Richard Wilson Drive was heavily damaged by a major fire in February 2018.
Louisiana as a whole sees a steady drumbeat of these calls. The American Red Cross also has a Southeast Louisiana Chapter.
Another Jefferson Parish Complex Left Scrambling
Wednesday's fire echoes a pattern Hoodline has tracked across Jefferson Parish this year. In August, an apartment fire at Terrytown Village Apartments displaced 13 residents and damaged six units, with firefighters arriving in under five minutes in that case as well. The Kenner Fire Department also describes fire-safety education programs for local residents.
As of Wednesday night, the fire remained a developing story, and several key questions were still unanswered. It is not yet known what caused the fire in the second-floor apartment, when power can be safely restored to the undamaged units, or exactly where the 34 displaced families will be temporarily housed while repairs move forward.
