Children Found Alone in House Fire

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Firefighters pulled two young boys left inside a burning Orange Mound apartment to safety early Monday morning. The fire started just before 2:00am at the Pendleton Place Apartments. A candle is being blamed for the blaze, and the boy's uncle is in jail facing child abuse and neglect charges.

The boys, ages 5 and 2, were transported to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in critical condition for smoke inhalation and burns. Their mother was interviewed by police about why the boys were home alone. She told investigators she left her brother in charge, and now he's in trouble with police.

Crews were at the Pendleton Place Apartments late Monday morning making repairs to a unit damaged overnight by fire.

Brittany Montgomery said, "I saw the smoke coming out from up there." Montgomery lives in the building next door. She said it all started on Sunday evening when a tree fell onto a power line. "I say about 10, we just heard a big noise and we thought somebody had run into the building."

Everyone was in the dark, so she said people were gathering outside to see what happened. Just before 2:00am, a fire had broken out in one of the units at the Orange Mound apartment complex. Memphis fire investigators said a candle was lit inside the unit, and it fell onto a curtain.

"They said the wind blew and caused the fire, of course he had to have the windows up for them to get air and have a candle lit to be able to see."

According to affidavit, a Memphis police officer was already at the complex on a separate call when he noticed a fire in the upstairs unit. When he knocked on the door no one answered. As the fire grew, the officer evacuated nearby tenants. That's when police say Christopher Niter ran towards the apartment, telling police he lived there, and his two young nephews were inside.

"What other concerned parent wouldn't have been outside trying to see what was going on with the electrical wires. I mean, I was a mother out too."

Police on the scene say Niters unlocked the apartment and tried to rescue the 5 and 2 year old boys himself with no luck. Memphis Firefighters arrived and were able to successfully get the boys out of the burning unit. They were transported to Le Bonheur, and Niters was taken to jail, facing two counts of child abuse and neglect charges.

Christopher Niter is currently being held at the Shelby County Jail, and will be in court to face a judge Tuesday morning.

Fire officials encourage everyone to use flashlights and battery powered lamps when the power is out.