Cause of Atlanta apartment fire that killed 3 children identified
Officials identify cause of fire that killed 3 kids
Fire investigators have officially identified the cause of an Atlanta apartment fire that claimed the lives of three young children last week. The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department confirms it was caused by an electrical issue. And city inspection reports reveal the complex has a history of code violations including defective electrical outlets.
ATLANTA - Investigators have identified the cause of an Atlanta apartment fire that claimed the lives of three young children last week.
The investigation into the blaze at the complex on Fairburn Road remains ongoing.
MORE: Apartments where fire killed 3 children cited for multiple electrical issues, reports show
The backstory:
The fire broke out in the second-story apartment on the afternoon of Jan. 19 at the apartment complex.
Firefighters pulled the three children out of the apartment and rushed them to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment due to smoke inhalation.
Despite efforts by medics, the three children were not able to survive their injuries. The victims were later identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner as 4-year-old Jhacari White, 1-year-old Xyla White, and 9-month-old Xhalia White.
3 children who died in apartment fire identified
We now know the names of the three children killed after a fire ignited inside their apartment in southwest Atlanta. It's a story we first brought to you as breaking news Wednesday and the details continue to leave many heartbroken across the city. The mayor and fire investigators say the fire appeared to have started from electrical issues.
Officials say two adults were also evaluated for injuries caused by the fire.
On his morning show on Friday, rapper Yung Joc said that the victims were his nieces and nephews.
"My family’s hurting, my brother's hurting," he said.
What we know:
On Friday, authorities with Atlanta Fire Rescue said that the official cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature.
The new information comes a day after FOX 5 discovered documents from the Atlanta Police Department's Code Enforcement Section that showed the Country Oaks Apartments had numerous code violations connected to electrical issues during an inspection last year.
Dig deeper:
According to the Code Enforcement documents, an official found that multiple apartments had defective electrical outlets and no smoke detectors during an inspection on Sept. 19.
The inspection also reportedly revealed exposed and uninsulated electrical wires, broken windows, and "deteriorated surfaces" in some apartments at the complex.
The inspector ordered that the violations needed to be completed by October.
The December reinspection report obtained by FOX 5 showed that there were 11 pending civil hearings regarding units with violations - many of which officials said had "inoperable electrical outlets" and "inoperable smoke detectors."
FOX 5 has reached out to the owners of the building for comment.
What you can do:
The nonprofit Patient Access set up a GoFundMe to support Jahda White, the children's mother.
As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe has raised more than $42,000 of its $45,000 goal.
Funeral arrangements are still pending for the three children.
The Source: Information for this story came from a statement by Atlanta Fire Rescue, documents from Code Enforcement, and previous FOX 5 reporting.