FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - An intense blaze that erupted overnight in Fort Lauderdale left a motel in ruins, displacing two families. The structure now stands charred and declared unsafe by fire officials.
In a heroic act, one man rushed inside the burning building to rescue his family even before firefighters arrived on the scene.
Larry Shannon, along with his wife and three young children, ages 11, 6, and 4, was inside the front unit when the fire broke out.
“I heard some glass breaking and I seen like a big light coming from the bathroom that wasn’t normal,” he recounted. “When I got up and opened the door, I seen the fire.”
Firefighters responded quickly to the motel on State Road 7 and Peters Road, where they discovered two rooms engulfed in flames, with black smoke billowing out. They managed to contain the fire, preventing it from spreading further, but the smoke caused damage to other rooms.
“There’s a good amount of damage here to these front two units, so these are not habitable right now,” Battalion Chief Tuyle Denman confirmed.
The families affected are now facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.
“We lost everything; now we’re homeless. We don’t have shoes or anything for my kids, no diapers, no nothing,” said Shannon as he spoke about the predicament his family is now in.
The American Red Cross was contacted for assistance, but they couldn’t provide help as the place where the families were staying was not considered a permanent residence.
“They said they can’t help us because we aren’t long-term or something. It’s crazy,” expressed Shannon.
Shannon and his family escaped the inferno with just the clothing on their backs. They didn’t even get a chance to grab shoes.
Although it is a challenging road ahead, Shannon is thankful he was able to get his family out before it was too late.
“If it wasn’t for God waking me up, my family would’ve been dead,” said Shannon.
While the fire brought devastation, the good news is that no one sustained injuries in the incident.
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