Fire Guts Hollywood Apartment
HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) - Residents of a Hollywood apartment building were forced to evacuate early Monday morning, and have been without power for several hours, after a fire gutted in one of the units.
The fire started in a first floor apartment at 2131 Jackson Street around 3 a.m.
Hollywood Fire Rescue said when firefighters arrived they found smoke and flames coming from the front windows of the unit.
The person who rents the unit wasn't there and 27-year old Earl Brewer had been 'house sitting' for the last couple of weeks.
Brewer said he left a woman inside the apartment while he went to the store. When he returned, the apartment was up in flames.
"I saw all the fire trucks and everything I looked inside and everything was completely gone and I'm like she had to deliberately sit here and set this," said Brewer. "Why would she do that though? Was it an accident maybe? Your guess is as good as mine."
No one was injured as a result of the fire but many residents have been impacted.
"It's sobering, I think that's the right word," said Orlando, a resident who only gave his first name. He said that he and his family were woken up by a fire alarm.
"It was going off for a while and so I started feeling something was wrong," Orlando said.
The wiring for the fire alarm system that runs throughout the building was burned and damaged. Because of the damage and other related electrical problems, fire officials said that all of the residents may end up being displaced.
"We have a one bedroom apartment. It looks like it got pretty hot in there, it is pretty much a total loss," said Division Chief Joel Medina with Hollywood Fire Rescue. He said there is smoke damage to the apartment above and some water damage to the apartments on either side.
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
The Red Cross has been called and will be stepping in to help any displaced residents.
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