SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - One day after a harrowing house fire killed his roommate and two pets, Thursday, a Southwest Miami-Dade man spoke out about his heartbreak.
Fidencio Nino’s had been friends with his roommate, 32-year-old Eddie Velez, for 17 years. Along with the two dogs they lived with, Nino said, they were closer than friends, they were family.
“Basically, everything is destroyed,” Nino said Friday, “and I lost three family members.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a fire at 26233 S.W. 127th Place, Thursday afternoon, and found Velez inside the home. They performed CPR, but it was too late for Velez, a catering manager at the University of Miami.
“Eddie was a great guy,” Nino said. “More than a friend. He’s like a family member to me.”
Velez was also a dad.
“He was a great father,” Nino said. “He was just a great father. He was a good person.”
Now, Nino said, he is ready to bury his bull terrier, Chico, and bulldog, Casper, in the backyard of his destroyed home.
“I’m about to bury them in my backyard and give them a proper burial,” Nino said. “If you love somebody, give them a hug today because you don’t know when you’re going to see them again.”
The fire is still under investigation, but officials do not expect foul play was involved.
The American Red Cross is helping Nino with a play to stay for the next couple of nights, but he doesn’t know where he’ll go after that.
The American Red Cross is helping Nino with a play to stay for the next couple of nights, but he doesn’t know where he’ll go after that. His friends have set up a GoFundMe page for Nino.
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