Miami auto warehouse catches fire; 1 firefighter injured

MIAMI (WSVN) - A 50,000-square-foot warehouse went up in flames, Friday evening, sending clouds of smoke and drawing the attention of onlookers who posted videos of the fire on social media.

City of Miami Fire Rescue units responded to the fire near North Miami Avenue and 22nd Street, just before 7 p.m.

Firefighters attacked the flames from the roof and were able to put out most of the blaze within 15 minutes. “It was determined that, because it was venting through the roof, a defensive mode of attack would be most appropriate,” said City of Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban.

Officials said no one was inside the automotive warehouse, except two dogs that were able to get out safely. One firefighter suffered minor burns while entering the building but did not need to go to the hospital.

The fire was mostly contained by Friday night, but crews stayed on the scene to watch out for certain hot spots. “They saw heavy smoke and flame venting through the roof, which indicated to them that this had been burning for a while,” said Zahralban.

Alejandro Gray, who lives in the area, said he was happy that the fire didn’t spread to nearby homes. “It’s a little scary,” Gray said. “Obviously, it’s a great relief. I feel a lot safer now knowing that we got all this help going on around here, so it feels good. Our house is right here, it could have spread. Definitely happy it didn’t spread over to the house.”

Investigators are attempting to determine what caused the fire.

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