Early this morning, residents of the Canongate condominium complex at 800 NE 195th St. in Northeast Miami-Dade were shaken awake as a large fire forced them to suddenly to evacuate their homes. According to 7News, the fire ignited around 3:30 a.m. in a fourth-story unit, resulting in the deployment of multiple Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units to combat the two-alarm blaze.
Cellphone footage and reports from eyewitnesses reveal the stark reality of flames near the affected unit’s balcony, which was later shown covered in soot. One shaken resident, Simone Griffin, recounted to 7News, "I just grabbed my robe, grabbed my phone, grabbed his pills, and we just went down."
No injuries were reported. MDFR officials have stated that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the number of units damaged is still unknown. Residents, slowly being allowed back into their apartments, continue to linger in suspense as to the full extent of the destruction.
Dea Gallira, another resident caught in the ordeal, initially mistook the alarm for a false warning. “I didn’t think it was real. I stayed in bed. I didn’t bother getting up until I finally got up and opened the door to the hallway. There was all this smoke and I could smell the fire, so I tried to grab what I could and I just said ‘screw it,’ and I just ran and grabbed all my stuff and I just ran out,” Gallira told Local 10. MDFR Operations Division Chief Michael Eng also detailed the aftermath challenges saying, "This was a second alarm fire. And the concern now that the fire is out is the degree of smoke and carbon monoxide in the building. So we have to absolutely make sure we can check that before we can allow people back in."
