MIAMI (WSVN) - A fire broke out at an abandoned building in Miami, and fire crews have been fighting the flames for hours.
City of Miami Fire Rescue crews arrived to the 3-story building on Sixth Street and Southwest Seventh Avenue, in Little Havana, Thursday afternoon, at around 12:50 p.m.
“I look over and the entire abandoned building is on fire,” said Ivan Cirilo, who lives nearby.
Heavy flames and smoke could be seen shooting from the roof of the building, as people living nearby watched as firefighters spent hours trying to put it out.
“Fire coming out of the window,” said Cirilo, “fire coming out of the ceiling.”
Cirilo lives just a few yards away from the building. He said when he walked outside, he could barely breathe.
“The way the wind was blowing, the smoke was coming at us, I had to run inside to grab a mask,” he said. “It was terrible.”
Crews were able to get the fire was under control but were still working to put out hot spots, as of 5:30 p.m.
Officials said battling the blaze wasn’t easy, noting it took more than 28 units and more than 50 fighters to get the flames under control.
“After about 45 minutes, we determined that we could no longer attack this from the inside, so we transitioned into defensive operations, and we are now just putting heavy amounts of water on this just to try to extinguish the blaze,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez.
No injuries have been reported, and the fire will be investigated.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area until officials clear the scene.
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