VIRGINIA GARDENS, Fla. – Several people were assessed for injuries following a fire that erupted Friday morning at a three-story building in Virginia Gardens, authorities confirmed.
The fire was reported near the 6500 block of Northwest 36th Street, just north of Miami International Airport.
Sky 10 was above the scene shortly before noon as there was a large Miami-Dade Fire Rescue response, however flames nor smoke could be seen coming from the building.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed the fire is under control, and only one person was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated.
Virginia Gardens resident Kayla Rossi said she was surprised to see the large emergency response.
“I just heard the helicopters and I never knew that something bad was going on,” Rossi said.
Residents emerged from their homes to see dozens of firefighters responding to the three-story building that caught fire just before 11 a.m.
From the ground, A Local 10 News crew saw firefighters entering the building through broken windows and using a ladder truck to extinguish the flames.
The fire necessitated the temporary closures of Northwest 36th Street from Milam Dairy Road to Northwest 57th Avenue, causing significant traffic disruptions. Those streets have since been reopened.
Residents shared their concern over how the fire started in a building they believed to be unoccupied.
“That building has been closed for years since I’ve been living here, so I don’t know how it started,” Rossi said.
Local 10 News has reached out to MDFR requesting information on the victim’s condition and identity.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who is also the state’s fire marshal, posted to X — formerly known as Twitter Friday afternoon — calling the fire a “terrible situation.”
“I’ve been in touch with local officials and fire investigators from my office are en route to the scene to assist (MDFR) with the fire investigation,” Patronis said. “Please join me in praying for those injured in this unfortunate incident.”
The cause of the fire remains unclear at this time.