OPA-LOCKA, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews battled fierce flames after a fire broke out inside an unoccupied two-story apartment building in Opa-Locka, officials said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the second-alarm fire along the 2100 block of Ali Baba Avenue, adjacent to State Road 9, at around 8 a.m. on Friday.
“It is a two-story building that was pretty much fully engulfed in flames. It quickly consumed the second floor of the building,” said 7Skyforce’s reporter Ralph Rayburn.
Heavy flames and thick clouds of smoke billowed into the air from the building’s roof as crews conducted an aggressive attack on the fire from inside the structure.
The building was soon deemed unsafe to be inside due to rafters on the second floor. This prompted crews to switch to a defensive attack where they tried to suppress the flames from the exterior of the building.
“They pulled firefighters out. They said that the second floor was compromised; they’ve been putting water on it,” said Rayburn.
“We had a total of 30 units responding, the floor was sagging so eventually we made it a defensive fire,” said MDFR Chief Horacio Rodriguez.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene as a ladder unit sprayed the apartment building from above, eventually putting the fire out.
After the fire was brought under control, crews remained on the scene to monitor flareups, but they have since left.
7News spoke with the property owner, Bertrand Walthour, who said he had recently purchased the property and was set to begin renovations.
“I don’t know what could’ve happened. It had no power to the building,” he said. “I just got this property in May, so we were getting ready to start renovations on this property.”
Walthour’s Opa-Locka investment will now be of more cost to him.
“Now we got a setback,” he said.
The roadway leading to the apartment building was closed during the firefight but has since been reopened.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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