FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A family of five are displaced after their home went up in flames in Fort Lauderdale.
Ring surveillance video captured e victims’ panicked voices as flames engulfing the house, early Wednesday morning.
“It was chaos. It was literally, like, the kids were screaming,” said one neighbor.
According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the blaze erupted around 5:30 a.m. in the area of Northwest 17th Street and 31st Avenue.
Several fire crews were on the scene as they worked to control the flames.
“Crews were met with heavy smoke and fire showing from the entire front of the building,” said Garrett Pingol with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
According to fire officials, five people, including three children, were inside the house at the time of the fire. One woman was trapped and needed assistance being removed from the home, while the other four people exited the burning structure safely.
The female victim was transported to the hospital with some injuries. Family members said she suffered burns on her body.
Despite being shaken up from the ordeal, all five people who were inside the home are expected to be OK.
A neighbor’s Ring camera captured the moment the house went up in flames as people ran down to street, calling out for help. The video also shows firefighters helping several children in the aftermath.
“Oh, my gosh. This is not fair,” said neighbor Eleita Cardoso.
Nearby residents said the family did not appear to have grabbed anything on the way out of the burning home, meaning all of their belongings may have gotten damaged due to the fire.
“I saw them running up and down the street. They were panicking because, I guess, the mom was still in the house,” said one neighbor. “I dialed 911, grabbed a fire extinguisher to try to help put something out, but the fire was too much. It was raging, mostly through, I guess, the west side of the house, in the front door. That’s what I was trying to spray, that front door with the fire extinguisher.”
The neighbor continued, saying the fire spread to nearby trees on the property of the adjacent house.
“It was a huge fire,” said one neighbor.
Video footage showed the awning of the house completely charred while the inside was gutted.
The family is unsure of what to do next, but volunteers with the American Red Cross said they are helping coordinate emergency aid for those affected by the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The family said they had complained to the landlord about problems with the wiring in the house, but the landlord did not make repairs, leading them to believe the cause was electrical in nature.
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