A family gathering turned into a crisis when a Fort Lauderdale home caught fire after a cookout. Local10 News reported that the blaze erupted at the residence of an 89-year-old woman located on the 100 block of Vermont Avenue yesterday. Linda Hurst, the woman's daughter, acted swiftly to rescue her sleeping mother as the house was consumed by flames. "I heard a 'pop' and I came out to the garage, and when I looked, it was already on fire. So I ran back inside the house and got my mom. I said, 'Come on, the house is on fire. Let's go,'" Hurst told Local 10 News.
By the end of a harrowing night, the longstanding family home was reduced to rubble. Despite the devastation, no injuries were reported, and the homeowner's grandchildren discovered a photograph of their grandfather undamaged by the fire. "Stuff is replaceable, but when you have people and you lose them – it's not replaceable," one of the relatives expressed in a statement obtained by Local 10 News.
A separate statement by Margaret Graham, the homeowner's daughter, to Local 10 News, underscored the significance of the space now laid bare: "She loved this house," speaking of her mother. "This is like a house where, you know, her kids come over on Saturdays and Sundays. We just hang out with her. But now, it’s not livable."
Concurrently, another report emerged from WSVN regarding a fire that crews extinguished in a Fort Lauderdale home last night. The incident occurred on Vermont Avenue, a short distance from West Broward Boulevard and Southwest 38th Avenue. "I got here, and I was just hoping that she and my aunt were out of the house when it happened. I know my family had just left here like less than 5 minutes ago, and everybody just had to rush back here to make sure that everybody was out of the house," the granddaughter of the homeowners told WSVN. The fire left three people without a residence and was potentially caused by the house's AC unit, though the official cause remains under investigation.
