DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police continue to investigate how one person died in a building fire at Century Village, in Deerfield Beach, Thursday afternoon.
A fire sparked, around 5:30 p.m., in the bedroom of the two-story building, located off Southwest 10th Street, between Military Trail and Power Line.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue responded and managed to put the fire under control, about 15 minutes after arriving.
Firefighters evacuated the building, but later found a victim, according to BSFR spokesperson Mike Jachles.
“Firefighters had heavy fire on the backside of one of the apartments,” Jachles said. “First arriving units, which are less than half a mile from where the fire was, they had heavy black smoke showing. From the firehouse, they saw heavy black smoke.”
The firefighters found no one in their initial search of building, but Jachles said, they found the victim during their second search.
“When they conducted a secondary search that’s when they found a victim inside,” Jachles said.
Officials have not identified the victim or the cause of death, but did determine the fire failed to spread to neighboring units.
“It’s tragic to see a fire death anytime, let alone at the beginning of the new year,” Jachles said, “This is our first fire fatality in our county, and we hope we don’t have any more.”
Jachles said the cause of the fire has yet to be found.
Residents of surrounding of apartments had to stay with family or friends for the night.
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