MIAMI — A man was critically injured and several people were displaced after a fire tore through a Miami apartment on Tuesday, possibly sparked by a cigarette near a gas can, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
The fire broke out around 7 p.m. Tuesday inside a first-floor unit of a two-story building along the 1300 block of Northwest 40th Street.
Authorities said a Miami police officer rushed inside and rescued a 36-year-old man who suffered third-degree burns over 90% of his body.
They said he was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.
Miami Fire Rescue said crews also rescued a dog from the building and took about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
Authorities said three adults were displaced and received assistance from the American Red Cross.
“Our preliminary investigation leads us to believe that the patient had a gas can in his room and may have lit a cigarette, causing a combustion/explosion,” Lt. Pete Sanchez, a Miami Fire Rescue spokesperson, wrote in an email to Local 10 News on Wednesday.
Neighbor Saleha Azzuzi told Local 10’s Jolena Esperto that she didn’t think the victim was going to make it out alive.
“It was scary, so scary. I was crying,” she said.
Daniel Rivera, who manages the apartment building, came by Wednesday morning to check out the damage.
“I think we could have lost the whole unit,” he said. “The fire was in that room and a person was in front able to go call fire rescue.”
Meanwhile, Sanchez urged the public not to store gas cans inside their homes and to avoid using lighters or matches near fumes.
“This incident is an example of what can go wrong,” Sanchez wrote.
He said the investigation remains ongoing.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
