BY NOAH BIERMAN
Miami Herald
Miami Beach fire fighters fought a rare combination of flames and storm winds Monday morning as they tried to stop a restaurant fire from spreading amid Wilma’s winds.
''When you’re fighting 40 to 50 mph winds that are fanning the flames, it’s an uphill battle,’' said Eric Yuhr, assistant fire chief.
Casona De Carlitos, at 2232 Collins Ave, was completely destroyed as was a former electronics store next to it.
Firefighters got the call at about 9:30 a.m. It took five minutes to leave the station because trees were blocking the exit, Yuhr said. Eventually, there were 26 men and women blasting hoses and firing chain saws to get access into the buildings.
''We caught this thing in the eye wall and we shouldn’t have gone out,’' Yuhr said.
The department’s radios went down for the first hour and a half. It was too windy to put raise ladders from two trucks for the first hour, forcing firefighters to push their hoses manually against the heavy winds and into the building.
By 11:30 a.m., flames remained, and winds were still strong enough to blow a cap off the head of one man. But it looked likely the small abandoned apartment building behind the restaurant would be spared.
That was crucial, said Yuhr, because it was the only buffer between the fire and a pink eight-story Art Deco building that was likely full of residents. Crews were also trying to protect a Subway sandwich shop next door.
''We’re hoping to God the fire wall hasn’t penetrated’’ between the buildings, Yuhr said.