SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A possible arson investigation is underway after four cars caught fire overnight in the driveway of a Southwest Miami-Dade home.
Police responded to the home at the corner of Southwest 229th Terrace and 113th Place, at around 4:15 a.m., Thursday.
Family member Ki-Jana King said he got home around 3 a.m., and less than an hour later, he heard a loud noise.
“I heard a big boom, and after I heard the boom I looked at my sister, and I’m like, ‘Did you hear that?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah,'” he said.
King said he then heard his mother’s screams.
“I’m like looking at her, and … she’s just yelling,” he said, “so then we came downstairs, and when we came downstairs we looked out the door, and all we could see, you can’t even see the car from the door.”
Neighbor Julio Villegas said he came upon the fire.
“I called 911,” he said.
Villegas said he tried to put out the flames with a water hose and a fire extinguisher, but the fire was just too intense. He was able to direct the rest of the family safely out of the house.
“I heard the screams, the kids crying and a female screaming, you know, nervous,” he said. “We tried to advise them to use the back door because the flames here were really high.”
“All we could see is flames coming this way,” said King, “so we ran out the back door and just watched from across the street what was going on to our cars.”
The family then recorded cellphone video of the burning vehicles.
The cars were so badly burned, officials could barely determine the color, make and model of the vehicles. Only a handbag inside one of the cars was salvaged.
“Everything that’s in this purse is on point,” said a family member.
Two gas cans were found on the side of the home, near a trash can.
“No, they’re not ours,” said King.
Police took the caps from both gas cans as part of the investigation.
“The police took the caps to run it for DNA because they weren’t there before,” said King. “The police asked us, ‘Have we ever seen them?’ We never seen those gas cans before.”
Investigators are working to figure out what sparked the fire. However, the family said they believe the fire was intentionally set.
7News spoke with another relative who said they don’t know who would want to harm the family.
“You know, people nowadays are crazy, so you never know what can happen,” said the relative.
The family believes the fire started in one car and spread to the others. However, investigators have not confirmed anything.
The cars have been deemed a total loss. However, the family’s home was not damaged, and no one was injured.
As police continue to investigate, the family is left wondering who could have started the fire.
“I really cannot think of a soul, not one person on this planet who would want to intentionally cause harm to this family,” said King.
If you have any information on this fire, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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