Fire leaves Hialeah home uninhabitable, woman, dog safe
MIAMI - An 82-year-old Hialeah woman and her dog were able to escape a smoky fire in their home that left the building uninhabitable.
That woman is now thanking neighbors for knocking on her door and trying to get her out of her home and she is saying that her precious dog named Princess may have saved her life.
Daisy Sequera told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I was sleeping. I didn't feel anything. I heard the dog barking/ A neighbor was knocking on the door but I didn't hear that. I only heard the dog. I got up to see what was wrong with the dog and there was a bad smell. She smelled smoke and if it wasn't for my dog I would not have gotten out."
Sequera said, "I feel horrible. Today, I had an appointment with my doctor but I can't go. I don't know anything. My brain is floating."
Sequera's 62-year-old son Rolando Gonzalez said, "My mom is doing well. She had lived here for much of her life. My concern is i don't want my mom to have a heart attack. She is frail."
According to Hialeah Fire Department, a neighbor called about the fire at 3455 East 1st Court around 3 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, thick smoke was coming from the roof. Firefighters were able to put out the fire relatively quickly.
While they found the fire was mostly isolated to a shed in the back, it did damage the rear of the structure.
Sequera and her pet were rescued from the building and were not hurt. The woman's son said she did not have insurance for the property.
Gonzalez said the home had been paid off and to save money and because of rising homeowner's insurance rates, his mother had cancelled her homeowner's insurance policy.
"She couldn't afford it," he said. "Insurance prices nowadays. It's ridiculous. She was paying around $4,000 but it went way up. And my mother is on a fixed income."
"Me and my sister and other brother will now take care of my Mom," he said. "But she wants to be home. This is her home. It is not easy."
What sparked the fire is under investigation.
"I have no idea what caused this fire," said Gonzalez. "We have no clue. This is what we are trying to find out."