North Miami apartment building fire displaces 16 people
MIAMI - More than a dozen fire rescue crews were dispatched. Arriving firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the single-story apartment building just after 6:30 a.m.
Fire Captain Marc Chavers says it started in the electric meter room at the back of the building and flames began spreading quickly to the five apartment units.
Firefighters used axes to chop through the roof to prevent flames from spreading. Chavers says the fire had gotten into the attic.
Mesly Cheryend rushed home from his job at Port Miami after getting a frantic call from his family.
He returned to find heavy damage to his unit which is next to the meter room in the back of the building.
He says his 13-year-old daughter and wife escaped the flames. He says they heard a strange noise and woke to find flames outside their window. His wife called 911
Their bedroom had extensive fire damage and most of their belongings were ruined.
"We packed some things and now we are waiting," he says. He doesn't know where they will go. They don't have rental insurance.
Another tenant, Starh Gabaud said she and her family will stay in a shelter until they find a new apartment.
She credits her mother with alerting everyone to the fire. "She opened the door and we ran across the street," she says.
Cheryend's unit had the worst damage along with the one next door. The other three units in the building were mostly smoke-damaged.
City inspectors posted an orange tag on the building saying it's unsafe for occupancy.
The Red Cross is helping the families. No injuries were reported.