A Miami-Dade firefighter was sent to the hospital on Saturday after suffering minor injuries while putting out a fire at a Miami Gardens public storage facility.
The building located in the 17500 block of Northwest 2nd Avenue was the scene of the fire.
As firefighters entered the structure, footage showed smoke pouring out of it.
As workers arrived at around 10 a.m., Miami-Dade Fire Rescue authorities said they discovered thick smoke emanating from the building.
They discovered many burning storage containers inside. According to officials, fighting was risky and tough due to the two-story building’s huge number of units.
“[It] presented a lot of challenges to actually get to the fire, because it actually had two levels inside and anytime you have a public storage facility there’s a lot of different various content in there that can catch fire and create a dangerous, non-visible smoke conditions as well,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Michael Eng said.
Ladder trucks were brought in to access the roof and make ventilation holes while more than 35 fire units arrived on the site.
After putting out the fire, the personnel kept an eye out for any hot spots.
Although the exact number of affected storage units was difficult to determine, Eng stated that at least three were “fully engulfed.”
A single firefighter was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
Perry Hilton claims he was in the storage facility attempting to take a few items out of his unit when he saw the smoke before Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived.
“When I opened the door I saw smoke coming from the back end of the storage unit,” Hilton said. “I grabbed the fire extinguisher from her and I tried to put out the flames.”
Hilton declared the fire to be excessive.
“The smoke and fire spread so quickly. Let’s leave, I told everyone,” Hilton remarked.
Hilton claimed that he found out later that his apartment had been destroyed by a fire official. He claimed that several of his and his fiancé’s personal items were inside.
Hilton claimed, “Everything I had inside there was lost.”
Hilton acknowledged that he was upset, but he also recognised what was more significant at that very moment.
“I could have tried to get my stuff out and not worry about the fire but I chose to make sure everyone in the building got out,” Hilton said. “Had I not gone there this morning, the person working would have not known there was a fire in there.”
An inquiry is underway to determine what caused the fire.
