Criminal investigation into Liberty City duplex fire
MIAMI - A criminal investigation is underway after a fire in a Liberty City duplex.
Miami Police spokesman Officer Mike Vega tells CBS4's Peter D'Oench that police know who they are looking for in relation to this fire but right now they are not naming him.
Miami Fire Rescue said around 6 a.m. they received a call about a fire in a residence at the intersection of NW 12th Avenue and NW 40th Street.
"When we arrived on the scene we encountered heavy smoke and flames coming from a duplex and immediately made entry into the property and began to extinguish the fire. We encountered an adult male victim laying on the ground when we arrived, he had torso and arm burns and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center," said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez.
He said the man was in serious but stable condition. A friend told CBS4 tha man is 37 years old.
Firefighters had the fire under control within five minutes.
A family of four, including a baby, in the adjacent unit was able to get out unharmed. Emma Caceres said she was inside the unit with her brother and her 2-month-old boy and the baby's father Luis Beltrand.
"I am very scared because who would think something like that would happen. Thank God we were able to get out. That's what I was worried about, my baby," said Caceres. "When we felt the smoke in the house we got out. It was inundated with smoke. We are waiting to see what they tell us. We can't return to the apartment. Everything we had was inside."
Beltrand said "I was sleeping when they knocked on the door. I saw a lot of smoke and we ran out and police came here. I have a 2-month-old kid and the kid is ok. I don't know what happened because I was asleep."
The Red Cross will help the family find a place to stay.
"A fire investigator is on the scene and will investigate the cause of this fire and see what happened today to cause this victim to get burned," said Sanchez.
Miami Police told CBS4 that because they know who they are looking for, they are not asking for the public's help right now to find him.