NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews have contained fierce flames after a fire broke out in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood and caused a longtime resident to lose her home of more than 40 years.
7News cameras on Thursday night captured homeowner Carrie Clark as she sifted through the remains of her house, looking for items she could salvage.
She showed 7News one of the gift baskets that were part of her burgeoning business.
“It’s perfume, and it’s a silk scarf,” she said.
Clark said she was certain this was her year to turn her hobby of creating gift baskets for every occasion into a business.
But Thursday afternoon, a fire ripped through her home.
“It’s tough, because I lost the bulk of my inventory, not to mention my house is destroyed,” she said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze near Northwest Seventh Court and 148th Street.
Officials said they received the call about the fire at around noon.
Video provided by MDFR captured vegetation in flames on the property.
7News cameras captured firefighters fighting the flames as heavy smoke billowed from the home.
More than 40 firefighters worked to knock down the flames.
7Skyforce captured the magnitude of the damage the structure sustained.
“A significant portion of the home is destroyed,” said MDFR Operations Division Chief Michael Eng.
Clark said neigher she nor her roommate were home at the time the flames sparked. She was surprised to find emergency crews in front of her house when she came back.
“Oh, my gosh, I nearly fell to the ground,” she said. “I couldn’t – I was holding on to [my roommate] as if I couldn’t even stand up. I was just weak.”
At first, officials said, they were told someone could be inside the residence, but that wasn’t the case. No one was hurt.
Clark was seen entering and exiting the burned home in the afternoon. She told 7News that she doesn’t know how the fire started.
“It looks like a war zone in the back,” said Clark.
Firefighters said the worst of the blaze was toward the right side of the house, both inside and outside the home.
Officials said household items inside the house made it tricky for crews to fight the flames.
“Due to the significant amount of debris inside and outside, it was extremely challenging to not only locate the fire and extinguish it, but conduct those searches,” said Eng.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“Very hard to tell at this point, because of how much fire was involved,” said Eng.
Despite the damage and despite everything she’s lost, Clark said she is still hopeful she can rebuild.
“I put everything I had into this. I wanted to leave a real, strong legacy. I really wanted to,” she said. “It’s not that I won’t, but I tried, and I’m still trying.”
Clark has set up a GoFundMe page. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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