Beach Apt. Residents Forced Out By Fire Wonder What's Next
MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) - Three days after a fire in their Miami Beach apartment building, about 60 tenants are looking for new places to stay for the next couple of months.
Police say Mindrey Delgado started the fire in the building on 28th and Collins to get her boyfriend's attention. One person in the building was badly burned. Everyone else was forced out.
Since Friday's fire the Red Cross provided hotels, but that help runs out Tuesday and many tenants worried they'd have nowhere to go.
"We were extremely concerned. That's why we all got together as a group," said John Suarez, a tenant.
Early in the day tenants gathered outside the building looking for answers and assistance from the owner.
"At first we were really upset because we weren't getting no response, but thankfully now we are getting some type of help. Things are moving along," Suarez added.
The city of Miami Beach says the building does have code violations, but the owner has been cooperating with the city. Still there is a lot of work to be done to repair the extensive damages from the fire, and tenants won't be calling this building home again for quite awhile.
Silvia Reyes with the city of Miami Beach explained, "The landlord for this building has agreed to provide renters relocation assistance and also hotel stay for all tenants affected."
Although frustrated about the fire, Suarez says he's satisfied with the arrangement
"I do understand also it's not like the [landlord] planned this. A random lady burned his place down so he is also in a hard situation."
Watch Gaby Fleischman's Report
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