MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters put out a house fire in Miramar.
The fire broke out at a home along Miramar Boulevard near Riviera Drive, just before 2 a.m., Thursday.
Four adults and five dogs were safely evacuated from the place they called home for more than 14 years.
“This is just one of those days where you want to pinch yourself and wake up, try to wake yourself up and say it was a dream, but it’s not,” said homeowner Carlos Perez.
One resident said he was up watching TV when the fire sparked.
“I heard screams from my wife, ‘Fire! Fire!'” said Perez. “I got up quickly. I grabbed the fire extinguisher. I tried to put out the fire in our walk-in closet, and it didn’t work. I grabbed the hose, laid down on the floor, tried to put out the fire as they grab our pets and exited the house.”
“As soon as I walked out of my room, I couldn’t even see the bathroom, and it’s like two feet in front of me,” said Jaime Nieves. “If you crouch, stay low, you can see everything.”
Firefighters responded to the scene and were able to put out the flames.
“We had just repainted, remodeled the house so beautifully, and then we get this,” Perez said.
Perez said he believes it was an electrical fire, but that has not been confirmed by fire officials.
Hours later, smoke was still visible from the roof of the home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The home has since been deemed unsafe by fire investigators.
“This is just material things, thank God. With the state that we’re in right now, of emergency, this is nothing compared to what I could have lost, which was my dear family,” said Perez. “We’re good. We’re OK. I thank the Lord for that. Everything else is material, and I will replace it. I don’t care how long, I will rebuild.”
American Red Cross volunteers are now assisting the family.
The family has set up a GoFundMe Page for those who wish to send donations.
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