At approximately 1:30 a.m. Monday, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) responded to a house fire at 19004 West Lake Drive in Miami Lakes.
Responding units noticed a giant wall of fire from three miles away. When fire crews arrived, they encountered a four unit townhouse fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters began an aggressive attack on the blaze and initiated a search for any potential victims.
Fortunately, all of the families living in the homes at the time of the fire were able to evacuate themselves. Due to the extent and intensity of the fire spread to three adjacent units, a 3rd Alarm assignment was dispatched for manpower.
Two patients were treated on scene for medical emergencies not directly related to the fire. According to residents, fire walls were not installed in these homes at the time of construction. Fire walls are used to prevent fire from spreading to adjacent homes.
The fire completely destroyed one home and severely damaged three others.
A total of 38 MDFR units responded to the scene and it took 150 firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. No injuries to firefighters were reported.
The Red Cross was on scene to assist the four families which were displaced because of the fire.