Pembroke Pines Townhouse Fire Reignites After Displacing Six Families, Killing Cat
PEMBROKE PINES (CBSMiami) – An early morning fire, which displaced six families from their Pembroke Pines townhomes and left one family cat dead, reignited several hours later and sent flames shooting the roof of the building.
According to Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue officials, a fire broke inside a townhouse located at 8915 Pam Tree Lane around 3:15 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, there was visible smoke and flames billowing out of one of the townhomes.
"I just threw on my shorts and opened the door for the guy and he kind of hustled me over here to get out of the way," said Dominick Treta who lives in one of the six townhomes which firefighters evacuated on Tuesday. "I imagine it's a wreck in there."
Nobody was hurt, but a family cat in a connecting townhome died from smoke inhalation. A second cat was taken to a veterinarian.
Yasmine Boisson and Kurtis Jantz say it started in an electrical outlet on their back patio .
"I heard a snap and thought someone was breaking in," said Jantz.
Yasmine woke their two kids and all ran to safety.
She says her 13-year-old is still trying to process the total loss.
"All the neighbors came together to help each other. That's the good that came out of it. Now we have to start over," she says.
Holden and Charis Dreyer lost everything as well. They thought they were in the clear when flames from the original fire were extinguished. But when the fire reignited they watched everything they have gone up in smoke. The couple had just married in October.
"I'm a gym owner and I had to shut down. We took some of the equipment to be able to work out here and now that's gone," said Holden.
Nestor Palma, a surgical medic in the military for twenty years says he is drawing on his experience to try to get through the devastating setback.
He lost everything, including his medals and citations.
"I had pictures with President Obama and now President Biden. They are gone too," he said.
Fellow veterans and family will help him start over.
Several hours later, around 9 a.m., the fire reignited.
WATCH: Chopper 4 over scene of reignited townhouse fire
Chopper 4 flew over the building as flames and thick black smoke billowed from a gaping home in the roof. CBS4 crews on the scene noticed an orange sticker deeming the building unsafe.
A Fire Inspector will continue the investigation.
The Red Cross as well as the Victim's Advocate is assisting the displaced families.
Neighbors 4 Neighbors is also helping and has set up a fund where the community can donate to help these families. All donations will be split among the affected families.
Click here if you'd like to donate or call (305) 597-4404 if you'd like to offer any assistance.
