NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A man was seriously injured when a fire broke out at a North Miami Beach house Wednesday morning.
The fire started at a home near Northeast 11th Avenue and Northeast 165th Terrace, just east of the Golden Glades.
A neighbor, Daniel Pizzaro, stepped outside to see flames as high as 15 feet coming from the house.
"They broke the door," said Pizzaro. "The victim looked like he had been trying to open the door knob (but) he just stayed stuck there."
While paramedics helped the victim, 25 firefighters moved in to put out the flames.
"We initially did this as a defensive attack, due to the large amount of flames coming out of the roof," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. Eric Baum.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
Once the sun came up, crews used shovels to clear out the garage and put out the hot spots.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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