An overnight fire broke out at Midtown Wine and Spirits on Poplar Avenue in Memphis early Monday morning, and fire officials say no one was hurt. The Memphis Fire Department responded to a commercial structure fire at the store, located at 2541 Poplar Avenue, and firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze before investigators turned their attention to what sparked it.
Investigators Point to Electrical Malfunction
According to Action News 5, investigators determined the cause of the fire was accidental and stemmed from an electrical issue. The station reported that emergency personnel responded early Monday morning to the Midtown business, and that the fire was ultimately traced to an electrical malfunction. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported in connection with the blaze, the station said.
According to WREG, the fire broke out at the Poplar Avenue store early Monday morning, prompting a response from Memphis firefighters who were able to put out the flames. Details on the extent of the damage and whether the store remains open have not been released.
Other Recent Memphis Business Fires
This is not the first Memphis business fire this year to be blamed on faulty wiring. A business fire in South Memphis in May was ruled an electrical accident by the Memphis Fire Department, per the same account from a WREG report. Separately, a commercial building fire in an industrial stretch of South Memphis was also found to be accidental, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage, according to a report from Fox 13 Memphis. It is not clear whether these incidents point to any broader pattern, and available fire-metrics data for the city does not establish a trend.
