CUTLER BAY, Fla. – Some residents are returning to their apartments the day after a two-alarm fire broke out on a roof of a Cutler Bay apartment complex.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was called to the Le Club Condominiums just before 7 p.m. after a 911 call said the roof was on fire Wednesday.
The blaze erupted and at one point saw 26 different fire units at the scene to douse the rooftop.
“It was really big...a big, big, fire,” resident Jean-Pierre Chadid said.
Nearly 24 hours later, fire restoration companies are trying to get some residents back into their homes after city officials said there is no structural damage to the foundation.
At least 24 homes were damaged and no injuries were reported after the blaze started in the community near Southwest 212 Street near 87th Avenue, officials said.
“The fire did spread rapidly across the roof,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Lt. Kirsten Miller said. “It took our … ladder trucks to get above the fire and make an aggressive defensive attack.”
Investigators say a bulk of the damage is a result of water.
The American Red Cross responded to the scene Wednesday evening to offer assistance to those displaced. On Thursday, the organization said no one needed temporary housing as all the residents had places to stay following the fire.
“Building inspectors anticipate the units will be restored to their original state,” Cutler Bay Mayor Tm Meerbott said. “Once they deem the units habitable again, will have Florida Power & Light restores electricity to the building so that the displaced families may move back into their homes.”
Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the fire.