HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida business owner has been left reeling after flames tore through a warehouse in Hialeah, burning his patio furniture business to the ground.
Arielle Castano, who owns Max International, said there is nothing left of his small company after a three-alarm fire gutted his section of the warehouse, early Sunday afternoon.
“We lost everything,” he said.
Hialeah and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze along Southeast Ninth Court at around 12:30 p.m.
When they arrived, the fire immediately intensified, triggering a second alarm.
“It spread to two of the other bays inside here,” said building owner Mark Sims.
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Castano said she had owned the furniture company for five years. Now it’s all gone.
“My business is my life,” he said.
Firefighters did all they could, but the flames spread too quickly.
“A heavy fire load. They were having a difficult time getting through all the areas inside the warehouse,” said Hialeah Fire Capt. David Rodriguez.
Sims said everything in Castano’s bay was consumed by flames.
“It was outdoor plastic furniture, and that was the stuff that really caught fire and was hard to put out,” he said.
The fire was mostly contained, but a nearby art studio also took a hit.
“Unfortunately, a lot of their work, their artwork, was damaged,” said Sims.
Officials said there was one person in the warehouse when the fire broke out, but they were able to exit safely.
Thanks to the first responders’ actions, the only things lost were materials and not lives.
“No one was hurt, thank God. No one was hurt,” said Sims. “There was one person inside when it started, but he got out safely.”
Sunday night, Florida Power and Light crews were at the scene assisting fire investigators, as they attempted to determine the cause.
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