LAUDERHILL, Fla. – Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire in Lauderhill that left a woman and dog dead early Friday morning.
The fire occurred shortly before 3 a.m. at a townhouse at 2211 NW 55th Terrace.
Jeff Levy, Assistant Chief of the Lauderhill Fire Department, said multiple 911 calls were placed and firefighters arrived within minutes and were met by heavy smoke and flames.
“Reports were being told to firefighters that there was a victim possibly trapped inside,” Levy said. “Crews made entry into the apartment, encountered heavy smoke and flames, did a search of the apartment and found the victim and brought her out. CPR was started. (The) victim was transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where, unfortunately, she passed away.”
Levy said crews used a thermal-imaging camera in addition to searching by hand to locate the victim and bring her out.
The victim’s neighbor, Antoinette Gordon, told Local 10 News that the victim was an elderly woman – a mother and grandmother – who lived there alone.
Gordon said she woke up from smelling the smoke and called 911.
“I have her number. I called her but she wouldn’t pick up,” Gordon said. “She turned off (the) light. I started to shake her gate, ‘Ms. Love, Ms. Love,’ and she wouldn’t say anything, so that was the last thing.”
Firefighters poured water on the victim’s kitten to cool it down after rescuing it.
“It is a townhouse. There are multiple units adjacent to the townhouse, so there are a few homes on either side that were damaged due to smoke and water, but the fire was contained to the single apartment, the single townhouse,” Levy said.
Andrew Lindo lives two doors down from the victim and says his dog started barking hysterically. He knew something was wrong.
“So when I got up I smelled smoke. I looked out I said oh... there is a fire two houses over. I grabbed my wallet, my mother’s picture and the dog,” said Lindo.
The victim’s identity has not yet been released.