HIALEAH, Fla. – Residents of a Hialeah apartment building have begun cleaning up the massive mess left behind after a fire tore through their building over the weekend, leaving at least two families homeless.
The fire reportedly broke out around 5:30 p.m. Saturday at an apartment building on West 42nd Street near 16th Avenue.
Video taken by a neighbor shows the intensity of the blaze, with smoke and flames shooting out of the affected unit’s front windows as neighbors looked on in shock.
“When I went outside, it was all in flames. It was crazy,” neighbor Jenny Aguiar told Local 10 News.
Officials say the fire started inside a third-floor unit.
Pictures provided by property management show the extent of the damage left behind, including a charred kitchen and the unit of origin covered in soot.
No injuries were reported, however the American Red Cross is now assisting a family of four – including two children – who live in the apartment unit where the fire started. They are also assisting a family who lives in the unit directly underneath where the fire occurred.
Neighbors believe the fire may have been accidentally started when one of the kids tried to make food.
“Her mom had just left to buy spaghetti, to make spaghetti. She was there with her brother and the little girl decided to make French fries. It was so heartbreaking, I started crying,” Aguiar said.
As the building evacuated, residents banded together, ready to help.
“Everybody started coming outside. Everybody came together as a community too, handing out bottles of water. It was really good,” Aguiar said.
The apartment now sits empty, with the third floor-unit and the one below it deemed unsafe.
Those living there are now forced to figure out their next move.
“It was sad -- they lost everything,” Aguiar said.