MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - An elderly woman was transported to the hospital after suffering serious injuries when her Miami Gardens home erupted in flames.
The fire broke out in the 3000 block of Northwest 157th Terrace around 5 a.m., Tuesday.
“Occupied, single family residence[…] occupied by two elderly people,” said a dispatcher.
Responding firefighters worked swiftly and tirelessly to douse the flames. Crews were seen using an axe to cut into the property’s roof in order to ventilate the structure.
The elderly woman who lives in the home was transported to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital with severe burn wounds to her arms and hands. She was visibly in pain as she was taken into the ambulance on a stretcher.
Her current condition is unknown but family said she’s expected to be OK.
A neighbor told 7News that she came knocking on his door when the fire broke out and he phoned 911.
Other said they woke up to flashing lights and knew something was wrong.
“I just woke up because I heard people speaking, like talking loud and I saw some light and I looked through my window and I saw four, five firemen outside,” said Luis Escalante, a neighbor.
Neighbors said the woman lived there for many years.
“I have seen her a couple times, she sits outside and she has her two, I’m not sure if they’re nephews or sons,” said Escalante.
Once the sun started to rise, the elderly woman’s family members surveyed the damage and worked to secure the house.
It appears the fire started in the back of the home in the woman’s bedroom.
Crews were seen returning to the home a few hours after the fire was brought under control to monitor reigniting hotspots.
City officials later deemed the house uninhabitable.
The timing of the fire couldn’t be any worse as the woman was just celebrated her 76th birthday Monday and now she’s without the home she has lived in for several decades.
“A really good old lady but no I haven’t actually spoken to her but what happened to her is pretty sad,” said Escalante.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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