POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Residents at a Pompano Beach motel have been evacuated after a fire tore through the second floor of the building.
It was a scary situation for those staying at The Shores Terrace Resort, but some good Samaritans went door-to-door to make sure everyone got out safely, Tuesday morning.
Cellphone video taken by a resident staying across the street showed firefighters at the building, located at 819 N. Ocean Blvd.
The fire started in a corner unit at around 7 a.m. before it spread across the second floor. The entire building has since been evacuated.
“I just happened to wake up, and I heard screaming, so when I looked out the window, all I saw was black smoke,” said resident Sarah Pio.
Bob Zaidan is one of those who helped make sure everyone inside the motel made it out safely.
“I heard people screaming from outside that they saw smoke, and there was a fire, and when I came out, there was a fire upstairs,” Zaidan said. “We were just trying to make sure everybody was out of the building. Everybody helped out. The people that were yelling in the street for everybody to wake up, and then we started pounding on doors. It’s amazing how fast that it spread, though. The fire extinguisher didn’t do anything.”
Resident Amanda Bezik described how people notified others in the building.
“Could not believe it was happening right there and right then. I was kind of in shock,” Bezik said. “Everyone kind of kicked into gear, knocking on doors, telling everyone to wake up, make sure everyone was OK.”
No injuries were reported. A few dogs and cats that were inside also made it out safely.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Red Cross is now helping those who lost their home find a place to stay.
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