MIAMI – Four people, including two police officers and a firefighter, were taken to the hospital early Thursday morning after a fire erupted inside of a home in Miami, first responders confirmed.
According to City of Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez, the fire was reported just before 12:30 a.m. in the 3600 block of Northwest 16th Street.
Sanchez said crews responded to the single-story home to find smoke coming from the structure, and residents who had made it out told them a family member was still inside.
Firefighters then entered the home, extending hose lines and conducting a search for the victim, Sanchez said.
He said the victim was quickly found in the back of the home on the floor and was taken outside.
The fire was extinguished within minutes, Sanchez confirmed.
Sanchez identified the victim found inside the home as a 54-year-old man who was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital with first- and second-degree burns to over 30% of his body. He is listed in serious condition.
“Two Miami Police Officers heroically entered the structure to render aid to the family and suffered smoke inhalation,” Sanchez said in an email to Local 10 News. “Both were transported to Jackson Hospital in stable condition for further evaluation.”
A City of Miami firefighter was also transported to JMH to be evaluated, Sanchez confirmed.
He said a family of four has been displaced and the American Red Cross was contacted to assist them.
The Miami Fire Investigation Unit will determine the origin and cause of the fire, however a man who lives at the home told reporters a lamp short-circuited next to where his brother was sleeping, and he believes that is what caused the fire.