HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - Emergency crews responded to a house fire in Hialeah where an 82-year-old woman resided, Wednesday morning.
Live video footage showed the firefighters clearing the area after they extinguished the flames.
According to officials, the blaze broke out around 3 a.m. in the area of East First Court and 34th Street, where they found a shed fire that spread into the home. After the flames were put out, firefighters labeled it with a red sticker marking the building uninhabitable due to its unsafe environment.
The homeowner said she smelled smoke after her dog woke her up with its barking. A neighbor helped her out of the house and also rescued her dog.
Hilberto Menendez said he banged on all the doors and yelled for anyone inside to get out, but when there was no response he managed to get the front door open to rescue the elderly woman. Once she was safely outside, Menendez ran back inside to rescue her dog.
The homeowner’s son, Rolando Gonzalez, plans to take her in while she finds a solution to her living situation, but he appeared to be worried for his brother, who occasionally stays in the structure behind the residence.
“The house has no insurance, so I don’t know what we’re gonna do right now,” he said. “My brother is missing. We don’t know where he’s at. We don’t know what’s happening, I just got here myself. I’m just worried about my mom. I want her to be OK.”
Officials have not confirmed how the fire started, and no injuries have been reported.
Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.
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