Miami apartment fire displaces 28 residents, 2 transported with smoke inhalation, officials say

Fire crews in Miami raced to extinguish a fire that broke out inside an apartment early Tuesday morning, according to fire officials.

Miami Fire Rescue told CBS News Miami that crews were called to an apartment building located on Northwest 53rd Avenue and Northwest 7th Street around 2:30 a.m. to investigate reports of heavy smoke coming from an apartment on the fourth floor.

When firefighters arrived, they were told to head to the fourth floor. When they got there, they said heavy smoke was filling the hallway, and there was low visibility.

"We were scared," Raiza Gonzalez said. "There was an alarm throughout the building. We saw people in the apartment being taken to the hospital."

The fire was quickly upgraded due to the number of residents inside the building, which also had bed-bound and elderly residents with wheelchairs inside. Miami Fire Rescue said that Unit 410 had heavy smoke and flames coming from inside.

"One person touched my door and said there was a fire in the building," Fernando Vargas said. 

He said he was scared.

"I went to the balcony, and I was waiting for fire rescue. I'm thinking with this fire I need to relax, but it was very difficult," he said.

Fernando Vargas told CBS News Miami that he lives on the fourth floor right next to where the fire broke out. CBS News Miami also spoke with another fourth-floor resident.

Ariel Hernandez said, "After I opened the door, there was a lot of smoke. You could not see your hands. It was very difficult. It was a bit scary, but thank God we are ok."

Two residents were transported to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, and it took crews 30 to 40 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

Authorities told CBS News Miami that 35 fire department units responded and more than 80 firefighters were on the scene. They said 15 apartments were impacted and 28 people were displaced.

City officials were at the scene assessing the damage, including Miami's mayor 

Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said, "What they encountered was a very old building and many residents were in wheelchairs. They had to carry them down the stairwell."

After viewing the damage, she added, "The entire hallway was covered in black soot. This is an older building and many new buildings require standpipes. In this case, the fire department had to create one, and what they did was connect to a fire hydrant on the street and bring a temporary run in with water going up to the fourth floor."

She noted, "This is one of those times where it is a blessing that this happened in a neighborhood that has a fire station nearby. If the response time had been longer than 10 minutes with this fire from what I saw in the apartment, this could have had a very different outcome."

She said the elevator is expected to be out until the end of the week and noted the city is working to find temporary housing for displaced residents.

Miami City Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela said the building's owner agreed to help residents find housing, and the city is providing gift cards and food.

"We want them to know we are here to help them," he said.

Gabela also shared information regarding a possible cause: "What I have been told is the gentleman saw that the outlet box that you plug in was on fire, and his wife opened the sliding glass door on the balcony that let in more windows and oxygen, and that made it worse. We were just talking to the Fire Chief, and he said you have to be careful when there is a fire, allowing more oxygen in."

Other residents are receiving help from family members and the Red Cross. 

Lucero Vargas said she rushed to the building to check on her brother, Fernando Vargas: "I was worried about him. I told him that you are alive. Enjoy life. You never know what is happening when you are sleeping and then you wake up."