MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade firefighters are working to extinguish a fire that erupted Thursday morning at a mobile home community in Miami-Dade’s Gladeview neighborhood.
The fire was reported in the 2900 block of Northwest 79th Street.
Noon report:
Sky 10 was above the scene at about 8:15 a.m. as heavy smoke and flames were coming from at least one mobile home.
Officials at the scene told Local 10′s Hannah Yechivi that more than 100 firefighters have been here taking turns all morning long to put out the big flames. So far, four mobile home units are totaled, but officials say nobody was injured.
“There were two trailers involved -- one on this side and the other side. It was very noisy,” one person who lives in the neighborhood said.
“We had some challenges associated with the congestion and the difficulty accessing these units, and heavy strong winds, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Operations Division Chief Michael Eng said.
Even power lines were lit on fire. It was a scene filled with challenges for firefighters as hot spots kept popping up all morning.
Janeisy Alfaro lived in one of the four affected units and lost everything in the fire.
“My documents, my Social Security (card) and I had a court appearance this February,” she said in Spanish. “I lost everything, but thank God I’m alive.”
Her neighbor, Milena Luna, also lost all of her possessions, but is thankful she was able to run out safely.
“I didn’t know what to do, I was desperate,” she said in Spanish. “I ran everywhere and I said, ‘Oh my God. What is this?’ All those flames!”
Eng says fires affecting these structures are hard to battle because of their layout and the significant amount of debris involved.
“Our trucks were only able to get so close to the actual fire, so we had to pull long hose lines in order to extinguish the fire,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The American Red Cross was at the scene later in the morning, working to help the affected families. Some families even said they are working with the property who may be able to find them a place to stay for the next few days.
SKY 10 OVER THE SCENE:
