Two adults and five children made it out safely early Friday morning after someone intentionally set fire to their Tennessee Street home in Baton Rouge, fire officials said. Firefighters responded to the 2364 block of Tennessee Street shortly before 2 a.m. and found the home's front and carport already engulfed in flames.
According to the The Advocate, the adults and children in the house escaped without injury before crews arrived. Firefighters managed to contain the damage to the home's front rooms and kept the flames from spreading to neighboring houses, the Baton Rouge Fire Department said.
Investigators with the fire department determined the fire was intentionally set, basing that conclusion on evidence gathered at the scene along with witness interviews, per the same account. The department has not released further details on how the fire was started or named anyone as a suspect in the case.
Red Cross Steps In to Help Displaced Family
The Baton Rouge Fire Department contacted the Red Cross to assist the two adults and five children who lost their home, the department said in a news release. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call BRFD investigators at (225) 389-2050 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.
The Tennessee Street fire follows a separate Baton Rouge blaze in which investigators also determined an apartment building fire was intentionally set. In that case, three residents were displaced after the fire, though all three were safely outside and no injuries were reported, according to WBRZ. The Red Cross was also expected to assist those displaced residents, the station reported.
No arrests or suspect information have been disclosed in either case, and investigators have not indicated whether the two fires are connected.
