MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Firefighters have rescued a dog after a fire sparked at a two-story Miami Beach apartment building, displacing some families who lived in the building.
Miami Beach Fire Rescue personnel were called to the area of Abbott Avenue and 78th Street just before 6 p.m., Wednesday.
“We heard the sirens and sirens, and my neighbor called the police,” neighbor Malcolm Carral said. “I saw a lot of smoke at first, and then, flames started appearing. I felt really bad for them. I saw her screaming.”
Krystal Cruz, a mother of three, called her friend for help after her apartment caught fire. Firefighters said the blaze started in the unit above Cruz’s, but there was no one in the apartment.
“Jemmy, come over here! My house caught on fire,” she said to her friend. “Yes, Jemmy. I don’t know, Jemmy. Just get here.”
While working to extinguish the blaze, officials said they saved a dog they found trapped in the building.
Cruz said she had stepped out of her home to pick up her children from school, and when she came back, she saw firefighters in front of her building. When she walked up, Cruz thought something happened to her dog.
“I just pulled up in here to come home after buying dinner,” she said. “This is just like one of my kids. She’s 12 years old.”
House on fire 🔥 in Miami Beach, 78 and abbott ave!!@wsvn @fox_sheldon pic.twitter.com/A4KIQqZ5gQ
— Super Cars Miami Beach (@supercarsmb) May 19, 2021
It is not yet clear how many people will be displaced due to the fire, officials said.
Cruz said she does not know what her family will do. She added her family has lived at the apartment for eight months.
“I’m in the street,” she said though tears.
The American Red Cross was called to help those displaced by the fire.
Though the flames have been extinguished, firefighters said the blaze destroyed 20% of the building’s roof.
No injuries, however, were reported, officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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