MEMPHIS, Tenn. – While most of the city was decorating for the holiday and shopping for their loved ones, a young couple was sifting through the charred remains of their rental home in Midtown.
“It feels so unreal,” said 22-year-old Haylee Wires. “Days after, it still felt surreal.”
On Dec. 16, a fire ignited in their duplex while the couple was sleeping.
According to a fire incident report, the smoke “detector did not alert occupants.”
Wires and her fiancé told FOX13 there was not a working smoke detector inside their home.
“It could have been prevented,” said Devonté Langley. “It really could.”
“That’s extremely unacceptable,” Wires said.
The young couple did not have renters insurance. Wires estimates she lost thousands of dollars’ worth of belongings in the fire.
“I was just in pure shock because it’s hard to believe that that was my house, you know?” Wires said.
As Langley and Wires were scrambling to get out of the house, they couldn’t find their cats in the thick smoke and fire.
Tini, the Orange cat, died in the flames, the Midtown couple said. Munchkin, the gray cat, might have escaped.
“I can see, you know, just the flames,” Wires said. “All I could think about were my babies in there.”
Days after the fire, the young couple learned their orange cat, Tini, died in the flames.
“Teener boy was my baby,” Langley said. “He just loved cuddling.”
The couple is still holding onto hope that their gray and white cat, Munchkin, escaped.
“I’m hopeful that she’s out there,” Wires said. “They were just my best friends.”
The young couple is without a car, a home and all their belongings.
If you’d like to help them, click on this GoFundMe link.
Importance of renters insurance
While Tennessee law does not require that tenants have renters insurance, it is the most important step you can take to protect your belongings.
“It is extremely helpful if something bad were to happen,” said Shade Sullins, the principal of A and S Insurance Solutions.
For as little as $10 to $15 a month, you can insure everything inside your rental property. Many coverage plans will also provide short-term housing in the event of an emergency.
“It’s extremely important,” Sullins said.
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Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.