MIAMI (WSVN) - A family of four had no time to save anything but themselves in an overnight fire that consumed their Miami home.
City of Miami Fire Rescue responded to the scene along Northwest 17th Avenue and 16th Street, at around 2 a.m., Thursday.
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a number of challenges, as the home is set far back from the main street, and there were multiple vehicles surrounding the home that had also caught fire.
“The house sits back in the yard, and it’s surrounded by a lot of trees, and they also had boats and vehicles that were inside,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll, “so with the amount of black smoke that was being generated from this fire, it made it very difficult for firefighters to know exactly what they were encountering.”
The home was occupied by a family of four: a woman, her husband, brother-in-law and father.
According to authorities, the woman woke up to the smell of smoke and alerted the family about the fire, allowing everyone to make it out safely.
“It shouldn’t have happened. I mean, we were sleeping,” said the brother-in-law, Carlos Jesus Castillo. “I heard ‘Fire! Fire!’ I’m like, ‘Where’s the fire?'”
Castillo said he tried to put the flames out with a garden hose, but the fire was too intense. However, he is relieved his family made it out.
Along with the family, there were several pets inside the home. One of the family’s dogs was too scared to come out, but firefighters were able to rescue him. Crews saved a few more pets, but some did not survive.
The family went through the rubble Thursday morning after the flames were put out.
Officials said the roof of the home caved in as a result of the fire. “As far as the cause of the fire, that’s still undetermined right now,” said Carroll. “It’s gonna be a very difficult task to determine the cause because of the amount of damage.”
Two apartment buildings near the home were evacuated as a precaution, due to the amount of smoke coming from the blaze. Residents have since been allowed back into their homes.
Two ladder trucks responded to the fire. Carroll said electrical lines were also an obstacle. “Because of the amount of fire, we had to have FPL actually shut the grid down to this neighborhood, just to make it safe for the firefighters to get back there and get a handle on this fire,” he said.
The fire was extinguished, but the home has been deemed a total loss.
A representative with the Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the family.
“Most of the stuff has deteriorated, completely, of course,” said Jose Guerrero whose house burned. “Everything is in shambles.”
There is an investigation into what caused the fire.
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