5 adults, child and dog displaced after fire tears through Liberty City duplex, Miami Fire Rescue says
A Liberty City family is without a home after a fire tore through a Miami duplex on Saturday morning, officials said.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m., the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue responded to reports of a fire located at 1815 NW 53rd St.
Upon arrival, crews found a single-story residential duplex with "heavy smoke billowing from the windows," prompting Miami Fire Rescue to upgrade the incident to a Code 1 working fire to dispatch additional resources, the agency said.
Firefighters deployed hose lines and forced entry into the structure for an aggressive fire attack. Meanwhile, firefighters searched for possible occupants inside the structure before it was deemed all clear.
Six residents — five adults and a child — were displaced, and the American Red Cross was contacted to help them with their needs, Miami Fire Rescue said.
A possible cause of the fire and a family grateful to be alive
Within 20 minutes after the fire was brought under control, a resident told crews that the source of flames was believed to be an electric bike that was stored inside the building, Miami Fire Rescue said.
The family told CBS News Miami that they're heartbroken but grateful to be alive. On Saturday night, the home was boarded up with an unsafe building notice on the front. They also told CBS News Miami that it was an e-bike charging that started the fire.
"[I] was calling my brother, I was calling my sister, I was calling my grandma, like 'Let's go, let's go, we don't got no time," said Josue Paz, one of the people who lived in the home.
Paz said around 10:30 am, he and his girlfriend were sleeping in the family's living room when all of a sudden, an e-bike he received as a birthday gift two days before started on fire. However, firefighters have not confirmed the origin and cause of the fire.
His grandmother, Laura Flores, recounted the terrifying moments she and her grandkids narrowly escaped from their rooms.
"I went to the window to see if I could open it, but I couldn't get out because of the bars. Then I said, 'Oh my God, how am I going to get out? Oh my God, help me,'" Flores said.
Paz told CBS News Miami that once all the people made it out, his little sister realized their dog, Blanco, was not with them. She ran back inside despite them telling her no and was able to save him.
While Paz and his family walked items next door to his aunts, they said they're just grateful to have gotten out.
"I hugged my daughter and said, 'God will give us the strength to move forward because the material things aren't important. All the televisions and everything else aren't important. Our lives are,'" Flores said.
"You know, to be honest, all I can really think is we got life, and that's the best gift to ever be given," Paz added. "Because life is only once."
Miami Fire Rescue is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire.