LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Twelve residents, including six children, are now looking for a new home after a fire broke out at a duplex. Now, the family has no idea where they will celebrate Christmas.
Lauderhill Fire Rescue arrived to the scene at 5400 NW 17th St., Tuesday.
“At about 10 a.m., we received multiple 911 calls about a house on fire,” said LFR Chief Jerry Gonzales. “Units found heavy smoke and flames coming from a rear bedroom.”
Iceland Smith was in the same room where the fire started and alerted the family.
“My daughter ran out and told my sister-in-law there’s a fire coming from behind the TV,” said Rodney Smith, “and then, by the time she got in there, the fire had spread down.”
Two dogs and a bunny were also inside the home. They were all saved by rescue teams.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene where heavy smoke was seen coming from the duplex where two families once lived.
According to fire rescue, the fire started in a back bedroom of the duplex. They had it under control in about 10 to 15 minutes.
Authorities said no one can stay here. Smith said his family lost everything.
“Everybody is out of the fire,” said Gonzalez. “It’s under investigation. We did have one of the residents suffer some burn injuries to their hands. He was treated on scene and released.”
The fire chief noted that the animals made the operation a little more difficult.
“There were two dogs in the backyard,” he said. “They were fine and kept under control in the backyard. It made the operation a little more difficult, but we were able to manage and get around it, and there was one rabbit that was recovered from the kitchen, and miraculously, the rabbit, after giving it some oxygen, is doing a lot better.”
“Christmas gifts, my computer, my iPad, everything, shoes, clothes,” said Smith. “I had to leave work, don’t know what we are going to do.”
The State Fire Marshal will investigate the cause of this fire.
“Right now, we’re not sure what started the fire,” said Gonzales.
The Red Cross is helping more than a dozen people who were impacted by this fire.
One of the families has set up a GoFundMe.
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