MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami Beach business is in complete ruin after a fire tore through it Tuesday morning.
Miami Beach Fire Rescue were dispatched to the area of 15th and 16th Street and Washington Avenue, sometime before 6 a.m., Monday.
Officials believe the fire originated at the Vemar Market, somewhere in the building’s attic.
One Vemar employee told 7News he smelled smoke when he got into work, Monday morning, and called Florida Power and Light thinking there was an electrical problem. Shortly after, he saw actual smoke and called 911.
“I’m smelling bad smell, smoke,” said Vemar employee Uttam Chakraborty, “and my daughter said, ‘Maybe some people smoking outside.’ I said, ‘No, this is not smoking smell.'”
Cell phone video sent to 7News also captured the fire, which could be seen for several blocks.
“It’s a go-to little store in the middle of the night,” said customer Danielle Clayton. “All day, it doesn’t matter – coffee, everything.”
Upon their arrival, firefighters saw thick smoke billowing from the top of the building. “The roof, yes, was partially collapsed upon arrival already,” said Miami Beach Fire Rescue Chief Jorge Linares. “We had a hard time trying to get to the scene of the fire. We had multiple roof layers that were dropping on each other.”
Washington Avenue was shut down between 15th and 16th Streets well into the afternoon.
According to employees at the Vemar Market and Miami Grill, the fire spread to at least two businesses. “It’s pretty sad because the owners are pretty cool and stuff,” said Clayton. “It’s gone now. They’re going to have to figure something out because they never close, and now it’s just going to be nothing.”
No injuries were reported.
Fire crews continued well into the day Tuesday to extinguish the flames.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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