11 People Displaced In Early-Morning NW Miami-Dade Duplex Fire
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Arson investigators with the Miami-Dade Police Department are looking into a Northwest Miami-Dade duplex fire which displaces 11 people.
Firefighters responded to the 700 block of NW 101 street at 12:30 a.m. Vindyke Michl lives at the unit next to the one where the fire started.
"All the Christmas trees and stuff. They're all gone now. There aren't anymore Christmas trees. There's no more anything in the house," Michl said.
Michl is a father to a one-year-old. He's thankful his girlfriend was there to wake up everyone.
"My girl came and she was yelling so loud 'get up, get up, get up'," Michl said.
The worst damage is next door to Michl. He told us that's home to four adults. His unit is home to four adults and three small children.
Even though there were flames, Michl said he tried to go in to make sure everyone made it out safely but authorities didn't allow him to go back inside.
"I tried to go back inside to get my grandmother and my other kids inside, I mean my sister's kids who were inside. But the police were not having it. They were holding me really tight," Michl said.
Michl thinks someone playing with a lighter may be the one who sparked flames. Investigators have not confirmed.
"Thank god they're still alive and I'm alive," Michl said.
As investigators continue to piece together what happened, Michl, his family, and the residents next door are now being helped by the Red Cross.
Officials have not said how long the investigation will take.