MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Investigators said a northwest Miami-Dade County house fire that sent two men to hospitals was intentionally set.
The fire was reported about 2 a.m. in the 5000 block of Northwest 169th Street.
Firefighters had to break out windows and knock down a door to rescue two men from inside. They also rescued a cat from the burning home.
Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Scott Henderson, 45, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center with second-degree burns to 17 percent of his body. He was listed in stable condition.
Zabaleta said Elton Smith, 58, was taken to Mercy Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. He was also listed in stable condition.
Investigators said arson is to blame, but they are still trying to determine how the fire was ignited and who may have done it.
Neighbors told Local 10 News that the residence is a halfway house.
"There's about 13 of them living there, and there's always problems and they call the cops at least two or three times a week," one neighbor said.
He said the residents buy drugs in the middle of the night and smoke crack outside the home.
"It's a big problem," he said.
He said the fire is just another incident for the troubled home.
"I hate to say this, it does not sound politically correct, but I'm glad," he said. "I'm sorry they got hurt, but if they can't live there anymore, awesome."
The other residents of the home were being relocated.
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