MIAMI (WSVN) - Firefighters put out a fire in a Little Havana apartment.
City of Miami Fire Rescue crews responded to a two-story apartment building near 10th Avenue and Southwest Seventh Street at approximately 1:40 a.m., Friday.
People were reportedly running from the building when rescue crews arrived on scene.
7News cameras captured the charred building and the significant damage left behind by the flames. Windows of the apartment building were also blown out due to the heat of the fire.
“The heat was so strong that it began to blow out the windows on the first floor, waking people up,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez. “They found residents running outside the building, and saw smoke and flames coming from the first floor.”
Officials said at least 12 families totaling 54 people have been displaced as a result of the fire.
All occupants of the building were evacuated without incident.
A dog that was trapped inside was also rescued.
7News spoke with Albenis Castilblanco, one of the residents who said he was one of the first people to realize what was happening.
“I ran to my little daughter’s room, I take her and my wife and I go for the back door,” he said. “Then, I jumped to the other apartment, because my sister lives there and I take them from the back door but the fire was inside their apartment.”
Afterwards, he said, he started yelling at people to get out because there was a fire.
“I was running around and calling all the people, ‘Wake up! Wake up! There’s fire in the apartment. Go outside. Go outside,'” said Castilblanco.
Officials said the fire damaged the electrical room and most of the first floor.
“The flames were going up really high,” said resident Mario Carvajal. “Thank God my family is good and my neighbors are good too.”
The building has been deemed inhabitable.
The Red Cross was on the scene assisting families to find places to stay after the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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