MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A massive fire that erupted Thursday at a large warehouse in northwest Miami-Dade continued to burn Saturday.
Into the night and morning, firefighters were still trying to contain the blaze at the 500,000-square-foot building. They continued to monitor conditions hour by hour.
Sparks could still be seen flying from the debris. By daylight, however, only a gray cloud of smoke remained — a stark contrast to the thick black plume that filled the sky Thursday when the fire first broke out around 11 a.m.
Firefighters were no longer on ladders spraying water, though heavy machinery could be seen moving around what remains of the warehouse.
But police and about 100 firefighters were still at the scene in the 20600 block of Northwest 47th Avenue fighting the flames and blocking off the entrance road to the Global Warehouse Solutions warehouse.
Some rain fell Friday morning, which helped extinguish some of the flames.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said it has been difficult to completely extinguish the fire because of how big the property is and how much material is inside.
“This warehouse is an open floor-type warehouse. It has numerous items, as I mentioned from what we’ve encountered or what we’ve seen, is thousands of items that are in there, from deodorant to shampoo, from firewood, etc.,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said.
The blaze was so intense that the call was upgraded to a fifth-alarm fire, meaning several other agencies, including Miramar Fire Rescue, were called to help Miami-Dade firefighters battle the blaze.
As night fell Thursday, firefighters were still on ladders with water hoses in their hands, dousing the blaze from above.
“There’s a possibility of this fire burning for a couple of days as a result of the roof that has collapsed on top of this warehouse,” Jadallah said.
A public safety alert was sent to people in the area around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, warning residents — especially those with medical or respiratory issues — to stay indoors because of wind conditions and smoke from the fire.
And as the fire chief said, there are many items in the warehouse, including chemicals, that could explode during the fire. Officials urged people to avoid going outside and breathing in the smoke, especially those within a 5-mile radius.
The fire has been devastating for many business owners who were storing items at the site.
One woman said she had just moved her materials into the warehouse earlier in the week. Now they have been destroyed.
An office manager at the warehouse told Local 10 that the fire started near rolls of artificial turf inside the building.
“I grabbed my purse and I ran,” she said.
Warehouse employees said they tried to extinguish the fire themselves before firefighters arrived.
“First, we have to think about what we all have, life, and then we’ll take it from there,” an employee identified only as Nisha said.
A day later, firefighters said hot spots were still smoldering inside the building and hazardous materials continued to burn.
Officials said the massive size of the warehouse and the amount of inventory inside have made it difficult to fully extinguish the flames.
Firefighters said they worked overnight to contain the fire to the original building.
“We continued our operations overnight to contain the fire to the original occupancy, and those efforts will continue throughout the next several days,” said MDFR Assistant Chief Jason Richard.
Video from Sky 10 on Friday showed the extent of the destruction, with portions of the exterior walls collapsed, others heavily charred and the roof still smoldering.
Some workers gathered outside the site Friday waiting to learn when, or if, they might be able to return.
Officials said investigators, including federal agents, were also at the scene as the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Global Warehouse Solutions posted a statement on its website.
“Our hearts are with our team, their families, and our community after the devastating fire yesterday. We are grateful that everyone is safe, and Global Warehouse Solutions is built on family and strong people. Together, we will rebuild and come back stronger.”
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