MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters put out a fire that destroyed a unit at an apartment building in Miami Beach.
The fire broke out at the St. George apartment complex along Sixth Street, between Euclid Avenue and Washington Avenue, at around 3:30 a.m., Thursday.
Cellphone video showed neighbors slamming on a window of the burning structure.
Ilhan Korkmaz, who lives with a friend in the unit where the blaze broke out, said he had just left and when he returned, that’s when he saw the flames.
“At 3:30 a.m. they call me, ‘OK, there’s a fire in your house. Come here,'” he said. “I came just before the fire department.”
Residents were woken up by the blaring emergency alarms and the smell of smoke.
“It was really strong, the sound. I was so scared,” one resident said.
The people who were slamming on the window were terrified Korkmaz and his friend were still inside. Thankfully, no one was home.
“Thank God I was out, you know?” said Korkmaz.
7News cameras captured the shattered windows that firefighters used to get inside the building.
Residents could be seen standing across the street after being evacuated.
They have since been allowed back into their units.
Korkmaz came back to find a charred mess left behind. He thinks the fire may have been caused by an exploding scooter battery, but fire officials have not yet confirmed the cause.
Cameras captured the scooter next to a mattress covered in debris. The insulation from the ceiling of the unit could be seen scattered all over the floor.
Building resident Sabrina Carrillo said she’s afraid to go back home.
“I think I prefer to go to another place for my safety,” she said.
Korkmaz said he is thankful timing was on his side.
“Two hours I was sleeping on the bed,” he said. “Thank God I was out, you know? That’s the only point. Nobody got hurt. That’s the most important part.”
Thursday afternoon, cameras captured the window seen in the cellphone video, now covered with plywood.
The American Red Cross is helping to find Korkmaz a place to stay.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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