Fire Rips Through Miramar Apartments
MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – As many as five apartments were heavily damaged Monday morning after a smoky fire ripped through a Miramar building.
The fire happened just after 9 a.m. Monday on the 6300 block of SW 27th Street in Miramar. From Chopper 4, the fire appeared to start in the end unit of a one-story apartment complex.
Shantelle Rios was sleeping in a neighboring apartment when someone pounded on her door.
"They came banging on the door and got everybody out. They just told us, everybody get out, there's a fire," said Rios.
"I just seen a lot of smoke, and it went from the dark smoke to the light colored smoke and then it was done," said neighbor Krystal Parchment.
Flames tore through the roof the end unit. Fire fighters cut through the roof to get to the flames inside.
"When they break the roof, what they're doing is trying to ventilate the structure. They're trying to get the smoke out of the structure and it cools the structure down and we have better visibility fighting the fire," said Miramar Fire Marshall Ross Reger.
Firefighters battled the blaze for almost an hour having to put out hotspots that reappeared a few times.
Neighbors are grateful it wasn't worse.
"My brother was saying, the worst thing that could happen right now is have an explosion and it spread," said Parchment.
No people were hurt in the fire, but a dog died in this front unit, likely of smoke inhalation. Investigators say the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.
