LAUDERHILL, Fla. — Smoke billowed from a third-floor bedroom window Thursday afternoon at an apartment building in Lauderhill, where family members told Local 10 that a woman who was set to turn 92 years old on Friday died after a fire erupted in her unit, prompting a large emergency response and the evacuation of residents.
Authorities said everyone inside the complex, located in the 4000 block of Northwest 19th Street, was able to get out except Adeline Morant who lived in the unit where the fire started just after 1 p.m.
First responders were seen standing by as firefighters brought Morant down before she was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where her daughter said she later died.
Jasmine Greer, a spokesperson for Lauderhill Fire Rescue, said firefighters worked as quickly as possible to find Morant, although they did encounter various obstacles, such as the size of the complex, tight hallways and heavy black smoke.
“It was a task given the time of the day. A lot of people were outside, obviously it was on a third floor, we had to stretch a lot of lines, we had multiple mutual aid,” Greer said.
Fire officials said the blaze was contained to that one unit and no other injuries were reported.
“Seeing the smoke, some reality hit and get what you can and get the hell out of there,” the neighbor said.
The apartment owner, Olivine Morant, told Local 10 that she lived in the unit with her 91-year-old mother. She said she was at work when she received a call that there was a fire in her unit.
When Olivine Morant arrived, she immediately asked rescue crews about her mother, but claimed that no one could tell her anything other than she had been taken to the hospital.
She described her mother as a vibrant, beautiful person who came to South Florida from Jamaica.
Olivine Morant said the family had planned to take her mother out for her birthday. She said she did not want a party, only a meal of her favorite seafood: crab legs and shrimp.
She now wants answers about how the fire started.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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