HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - One person was airlifted to the hospital after fierce flames ripped through a townhouse in Homestead overnight.
Neighbors watched in shock as flames illuminated the sky and shot out of the roof of the townhouse, located in the 4200 block of Northeast Ninth Street just before 11:00 pm Monday.
“Oh my god! It’s not over,” a woman is heard yelling over cellphone video.
One person was inside the home at the time of the fire and was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.
The person appeared to be semi-alert while first responders were pushing them on a stretcher.
Firefighters attacked the fierce flames from all angles, using a ladder as leverage to douse the home in water.
They worked diligently to knock down the flames and get the fire under control.
“It was very scary. I feel bad for the people that live there. It was very unfortunate,” said a woman.
“It’s bad. I walked around. It’s bad,” said neighbor, Tommy Boykin.
The daylight allowed for a better view of the damage done to the structure.
7Skyforce showed aerial view of the home where a section of the roof caved in.
The second floor of the home is completely gutted and some of the windows of the back were shattered and had a lot of smoke damage, ultimately officials deemed the house a total loss.
Even roughly 12 hours later, fire crews were still outside to check for hot spots as agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were seen searching through the home.
Neighbors, like Tommy Boykin, and others with their pets, had to rush out of bed to get to safety.
“My neighbors woke me up by banging on the window,” said Boykin. “I have been here 14 years. Never seen anything like this, so this is a surprise. I think it’s gutted back there.”
Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
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