Woman, 85, rescued after being trapped in burning home in Little Haiti

Firefighters had to pry open iron door to save resident

MIAMI – Firefighters had to rescue an elderly woman who was trapped inside her Little Haiti home during a fire.

The fire started about 4 a.m. Wednesday at a house on Northwest 67th Street.

When firefighters arrived, they found an 85-year-old woman who was trapped behind an iron door in a back bedroom.

Burglar bars on the windows and doors impeded her escape.

Firefighters had to pry the door open to pull her to safety.

"When residents have those type of bars, we always encourage them to have escape bars," Miami Department of Fire-Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said.

The woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for possible smoke inhalation.

She lives in the home with her daughter, who wasn't there at the time of the fire.

"Luckily for that elderly woman, her daughter came home just in time to notice the fire, but also give her a chance at survival," Carroll said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.


About the Author:

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.