LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. – A Lauderdale Lakes house was destroyed in a fire Wednesday morning.
Sky 10 was above the burning home on Northwest 39th Street shortly after 9 a.m.
Flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the house.
Firefighters were using water hoses and a ladder truck to extinguish the flames.
A Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue representative told Local 10 News crime specialist John Turchin that about 70 firefighters were forced to fight the fire from a platform because the roof had collapsed and there were power lines nearby.
He said the attic was engulfed in flames, which were spreading rapidly.
"One of the biggest hazards in fighting fire from the inside is roof collapse, where firefighters have the roofs collapsing on them, as well as trapping them within smoke and fire conditions.That's one of the bigger fears of fighting a fire from the inside," BSO Fire Rescue District Chief Kenneth Kronheim said.
A family of four lives in the home, three of whom were inside when the fire broke out. The couple, who is in their 60s, and their daughter, who is in her 30s, made it out of the home, but authorities said that the family's pets died in the fire. The animals include birds, ferrets, a snake and a cat.
It took firefighters from numerous cities, including Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale, about an hour and a half to extinguish the flames. Authorities said roughly 70 gallons of water a minute was doused on the home.
The home is expected to be deemed a total loss.
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced family.