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LaVergne Woman Arrested In Apartment Fire

48 Residents Displaced By Blaze

POSTED: 4:15 pm CST December 10, 2009
UPDATED: 6:21 pm CST December 10, 2009

Police arrested a 39-year-old woman suspected of setting a fire early Thursday morning that destroyed four apartment units at a complex, according to LaVergne Police Chief Ted Boyd.

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The fire occurred at the Weekly Rentals apartments located on Murfreesboro Road in LaVergne.

Police arrested Latisha M. Bradford, a former resident of the rent-by-the-week complex.

Police said Bradford was renting the unit where the fire started. Witnesses said she was informed by management that she was going to be evicted because she was behind on her rent. But because of the freezing temperatures, management said they would let her stay the night.

However, at about 12:30 p.m., the apartment caught fire.

Bradford is charged with aggravated arson, accused of setting the fire at the complex, formerly known as the Fairlane Hotel.

Gwinn DeSpain, 55, lives at the complex and went to the store on Wednesday night to buy milk.

"I wasn't gone more than five minutes. When I came back, there were fire trucks and police cruisers, and it was a blaze," said DeSpain.

DeSpain has cancer and won't be allowed to go back inside his apartment until crews make sure it's safe.

Latisha Bradford
Latisha Bradford

LaVergne police said Bradford confessed to taking a stack of clothes and setting them on fire.

"We're lucky no one was killed or injured," said Boyd.

Forty-eight people were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross has made arrangements to house the residents.

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