SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Fourth of July grilling mishap caused a home in Kendall to go up in flames, Sunday afternoon.
Homeowner James Quinones said he was trying to burn off extra grease on his barbecue grill when he walked away for a moment to do his laundry.
Shortly after, he realized the flames had spread to his home. “It just spread. It spread so quick,” he said.
“I heard someone screaming,” said a woman who lives nearby.
“You see flames everywhere,” said a boy who witnessed the fire.
Emotions ran high after Quinones’ family escaped the burning home. “Is anybody in there?” a man is heard asking on cellphone video showing the exterior of the residence, located along Southwest 106th Street and 130th Avenue.
“It was unbelievable. Thank God nobody was hurt,” said Quinones. “Me and my wife are OK, my dog’s OK.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received the call about the blaze just before 2 p.m. “We poured a lot [of water] on the outside. We put a lot on the inside,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. George Sterr. “It was contained just until the attic.”
The homeowner said he hadn’t used his grill in a year when he decided to barbecue. He said there is extensive damage to multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, the back porch and the roof.
“We got the house for sale. Closing is next month,” said Quinones. “It’s just emotional because, you know, we put a lot of work into this house. Two and a half years of remodeling. I guess the house doesn’t want us to let it go.”
Investigators are attempting to determine why the fire got out of control.
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