This Monday, the Hialeah police released a video from the body cameras of the officers who recently rescued an elderly man of Cuban descent who was a victim of a fire in a building in the city.
The images show officials and rescuers entering the charred residence, and after rescuing the elderly person, they perform CPR in the hallway leading to the apartment. They then carry him down to finally transfer him to a medical facility.
In total, four people and a dog were rescued on Saturday after a fire destroyed an apartment on the third floor of a building located at 460 East 23rd Street in Hialeah.
According to Gustavo Azoy—who, in previous statements to Telemundo 51, identified himself as the son of the elderly couple—his mother, named Silvia, was able to exit the apartment in time, while his father, Andrés, was trapped until he was rescued.
Both are admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Until yesterday, the woman was in stable condition, but the man was in very serious health due to the large amount of smoke he inhaled.
The identity of the other two hospitalized individuals has not been disclosed.
Gustavo Azoy specified that a power outage in a portable air conditioner—because the central air conditioning in the apartment was broken—could have been the cause of the incident.
However, the authorities are still investigating the causes of the fire.
The apartment was completely destroyed and declared unsafe by the authorities.
The family is now facing the uncertainty of not having a place to go and is seeking assistance to cover the medical expenses of the elderly and their pet.
Residents of the building described the moments of panic they experienced upon noticing the fire. Due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide, the police evacuated the entire building, affecting even the residents of the adjacent property.
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