Discarded cigarette leads to massive fire at northwest Miami-Dade home

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. ā€“ Eight people, including two children, were displaced from their home in northwest Miami-Dade Sunday after a massive fire broke out.

Helmet camera video from Miami-Dade firefighters shows flames fully engulfing the back of the home near Northwest 30th Street and 100th Avenue.

First responders confirmed that the fire erupted just before 2 p.m. Sunday.

ā€œA little overwhelmed, a little stressed out, and honestly, going through a lot of emotions that I donā€™t know how to deal with,ā€ Francisco Diaz, who lives at the home, said.

Diaz, 35, lives in the back portion of the home and explained to Local 10 News how the fire started.

ā€œI was walking the dogs, and I flicked my cigarette into the yard, and I walked to the front, and all of the sudden, I see fire,ā€ he said.

Diaz said he heard a ā€œpop,ā€ and suddenly that fire quickly spread to items in the backyard and to his back bedroom.

Everything inside that room was destroyed -- left blackened and charred.

Diaz said heā€™s unsure whatā€™s next as heā€™s lost nearly everything he owns.

ā€œAnything will help,ā€ he said. ā€œI donā€™t know where to go. My family is in a predicament. My mom is in the hospital and things are just rough.ā€

Diaz is also urging others to be cautious about fire hazards, saying he flicked his cigarette butts into the backyard every day, never imagining this could happen.

ā€œEverybody has got to be careful, because you never know when things can change,ā€ he said. ā€œEverything happened so quickly. I throw a thousand cigarettes back there, man. Every day I go -- three times a day, walk the dogs, and nothing has ever happened, man. Just be careful.ā€

Despite the significant damage left behind by the blaze, no injuries were reported.


About the Author
Cody Weddle headshot

Cody Weddle joined Local 10 News as a full-time reporter in South Florida in August of 2022. Before that, Cody worked regularly with Local 10 since January of 2017 as a foreign correspondent in Venezuela and Colombia.

Loading...

Recommended Videos