MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Three Miami-Dade firefighters were struck by a cast iron bathtub that fell through the second floor of a home as they were battling a fire early Monday morning, authorities confirmed.
The home is located in the area of Northwest 83rd Street and Fifth Place.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials, 14 units responded to the fire around 2:50 a.m.
Officials said the house was fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival.
Rebecca Gonzalez, who lives with her family across the street from the home, said the home was already engulfed in flames when she went outside, as well.
“You could actually feel the heat all the way from the side window and my kids room right there,” she said. “The tree on this side was already catching on fire at our friend’s house.”
Gonzalez said the house next door almost caught on fire and she feared the flames would come toward her home too.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, if the wind changes and it starts coming this way, we have a lot of trees,’” Gonzalez said.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to any surrounding homes.
Some neighbors told Local 10 News they believed the home was abandoned, while others said they believed there were people living inside.
“So nobody’s lived there for two, three months, but we see people coming in and out of there,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully they tear it down and nothing bad or worse happens.”
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether anyone was inside the home at the time of the fire.
Officials confirmed that the firefighters who were struck by the bathtub are OK.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.