POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A Jeep burst into flames as it crashed into a house Saturday morning in Pompano Beach, gutting both the home and the vehicle, authorities said.
Keyla Concepcion, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Sheriff's Department, said deputies were pursuing the Jeep when the driver lost control and slammed into the home near Northeast 23rd Street and Northeast Second Avenue.
Battalion Chief David Sheflin, a spokesman for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, said the four people in home were all able to escape unharmed.
Sheflin said the fire was difficult to extinguish because fuel leaking from the Jeep acted as an accelerant. He said the damage to the house was extensive, making the home uninhabitable.
Concepcion said the driver, apparently unhurt, was arrested at the scene.
She said that about 5:30 a.m., deputies were pursing a suspect who fled the scene of a shooting and stabbing at Singers karaoke club in 3500 block of Northwest 8th Avenue. Deputies tracked the suspect to Northwest Eighth Street and Northwest Fourth Avenue when the suspect bailed out of the vehicle, Concepcion said.
At the same time, another car, a Jeep, sped away from deputies, she said. Deputies pursued the vehicle and the driver eventually crashed into the home, sparking the fire. Concepcion said it was unclear whether the driver of the Jeep was connected to attacks at Singers.
The victims of the attack at the nightclub were transported to Broward Health North. Concepcion did not disclose their condition. It's unclear whether deputies were able to apprehend the initial suspect in the attack.
The American Red Cross was on hand Saturday to assist the family who lived in the home.
The homeowner, Dully Denis, said he was set to leave for Haiti Sunday to visit his mother for Christmas. Now, his holiday plans have been upended.
“I lose everything in the house," Denis said. "Everything gone. Clothes, shoes, everything. It's a bad feeling.”