Several Displaced After Fire Burns Through Miami Gardens Townhouses
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MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) – A fire destroyed townhouses in a Miami Gardens neighborhood on Saturday.
Six people have been displaced and two were injured.
The fire is being looked into by arson investigators and the police.
Miami-Dade Firefighters attacked the fire from the roof and through windows, even using a crane.
Residents in the Miami Gardens neighborhood stood outside and watched the flames and smoke destroy parts of the townhouse.
"I was resting and relaxing when i heard the crackling sound and smelled something real funny," said resident Dane Brown.
Fire fighters tell CBS4 the fire began in an abandoned unit and spread to three different townhouses.
"We encountered heavy smoke and heavy fire from a two story townhouse," said Battalion Chief Ray Jadallah with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. "The fire would eventually escalate to a two alarm fire, with victims jumping out second floor windows."
Neighbors who made it out of the building saw a woman from a window.
"The lady was screaming somebody to help her she's in the house," said Deloris, another resident. "She jumped out the window from the second floor. And the neighbor went in with the water hose to try to put it out but I guess he got smoke insulation because he has to come back out."
Firefighters say two people sustained minor injuries and were treated on scene. And one of them, a woman, was taken in to custody by police.
"One of the victims was detained for further questioning by both our arson investigators and Miami Gardens Police Department," said Jadallah.
The fire was put out in an hour and half after firefighters arrived on scene, but the damage to the residents' homes is overwhelming.