Miami firefighters work to extinguish blaze at abandoned building

MIAMI – City of Miami firefighters worked to extinguish a fire that erupted at around 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon at an abandoned three-story building.

The building is located in the area of Southwest Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood.

According to police, no injuries were reported.

Because the building was abandoned, firefighters chose to use what they call a “defensive attack” — continuing to douse the building with water, but not going inside.

“We determined that it was unsafe for the firefighters to be inside and we established that there was no life safety hazards because it was an abandoned building,” Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said.

Neighbors described the blaze as impressive.

“The flames were extensive,” neighbor Hipolito Llanes said in Spanish.

Firefighters got the flames under control by 4 p.m. but remained at the scene throughout the night putting out hot spots.