A house fire that broke out Thursday night in Memphis's Hyde Park neighborhood has been ruled intentionally set, according to fire investigators. Firefighters responded around 7:45 p.m. to a home in the 1300 block of Lambert Street near Chelsea Avenue, and while no injuries were reported, the blaze caused more than $30,000 in damage.
Fire Crews Called to Lambert Street
Memphis fire investigators say the Thursday night fire in the Hyde Park neighborhood was intentionally set, according to Action News 5. Crews were dispatched to the home near the intersection of Lambert Street and Chelsea Avenue just before 8 p.m. No one was hurt in the fire, but the damage to the structure was substantial, with total estimated losses topping $30,000, per the outlet's report.
Beyond the response time, location and dollar estimate, few additional details about the investigation have been released. It remains unclear whether anyone has been identified as a suspect or taken into custody in connection with the fire, and the exact circumstances that led investigators to classify it as intentional have not been disclosed.
Arson Investigations in Memphis
The City of Memphis maintains a dedicated Arson Investigations division within its fire department, which lists James Greene as chief fire investigator for arson cases. The Memphis Fire Department also tracks broader response data through the city's Open Data Hub, which maintains a Fire Services Metrics dataset detailing call volume and response times, updated monthly.
Intentionally set house fires have surfaced elsewhere in Memphis this year. In February, investigators determined that a vacant-home fire on Quinn Avenue near Wilson Street had been intentionally set, according to a separate Action News 5 report. In March, the Daily Dispatch reported that a Lowell Avenue home near Lamar Avenue caught fire twice within 24 hours, with investigators again determining the fire was intentionally set. And in May, Action News 5 reported that a man named Jeremy Bateman was arrested and charged after a fire at a home on Brower Street in the Messick-Buntyn neighborhood.
Nationally, fire casualties remain a serious concern in residential settings. The U.S. Fire Administration notes that in 2023, the national average for residential structure fire casualties was 5.8 deaths and 19.7 injuries per 1,000 fires, according to federal fire data. No further details about the Lambert Street investigation, including whether a suspect has been identified, have been released at this time.
