Yesterday, fires broke out in a Northwest Miami-Dade home and a Liberty City duplex, displacing multiple residents, but no fatalities were reported. CBS New Miami reports that fires, thought to have been started by an electric bike, destroyed homes and belongings, though all residents survived.
According to WSVN, firefighters responded quickly to the Northwest Miami-Dade incident to extinguish the flames, while in Liberty City, Miami Fire Rescue fought through heavy smoke to contain the situation after upgrading the incident to a Code 1 working fire, as detailed in a statement provided by the department to CBS News Miami.
In both incidents, the emotional toll on the affected residents is palpable, Josue Paz, the son of the Northwest Miami-Dade homeowner and a resident of the Liberty City duplex, recounted waking to the sight of his birthday gift, an electric bike, consumed by flames and his immediate reaction to usher his family to safety; he lost all of his birthday gifts, his clothes, and shoes but he emphasized that what mattered most was that his loved ones were unharmed, saying, "It's upsetting, but we've got the most important thing which is life you know," according to the interview with WSVN.
Meanwhile, in Liberty City; Laura Flores, Paz's grandmother, struggled to escape through barred windows and expressed her relief that everyone, including the family dog rescued by Paz's sister, made it out alive, Paz, echoing his gratitude for life above all else, said, "You know, to be honest, all I can really think is we got life, and that's the best gift to ever be given," in an emotional account to CBS News Miami.
The American Red Cross has intervened to assist the families as investigators work to pinpoint the exact cause of the fires while the families begin the challenging process of rebuilding their lives with the help from the community, a sentiment by CBS News Miami interview where Flores said, "I hugged my daughter and said, 'God will give us the strength to move forward because the material things aren't important. All the televisions and everything else aren't important. Our lives are.'"
