The Cuban singer María Antonieta Fernández, who was among those displaced by the devastating fire in a building that occurred on Monday morning in Miami, states that she lost everything in the incident.
“I am really very nervous, extremely worried,” she said in an interview with journalist Ninoska Pérez for the radio station La Nueva Poderosa, while the building was still engulfed in flames.
The artist was forced to leave her home in her pajamas and could not save anything, not even the computer where she kept all her artistic material and recordings.
She recounted that she was in the bathroom when everything started, and that the smoke entered her apartment very quickly because the fire broke out very close to her home.
He expressed gratitude to God and to the swift response of the emergency services, which prevented any fatalities.
"The firefighters went door to door checking and helped evacuate those who could not exit on their own," he detailed.
Despite the tragedy, María Antonieta shared that she has received tremendous support from friends and family.
"I have many friends who have offered to help me with clothes and shoes, and I am infinitely grateful," she expressed.
Still without a permanent place to stay, he relies on the solidarity of the community.
María Antonieta explained that she has a performance scheduled at the Alfaros nightclub for this Friday night, which she intends to go ahead with, despite the incident that has turned her life upside down.
"I have work on Friday at Alfaros, and I don't plan to keep the audience waiting," he stated, adding that with the help of his musical director and producer, he is preparing for his artistic performance.
"I am the Lioness of Cuba, and I will remain the Lioness until God calls me to His homeland," concluded the artist, who has lived in Miami since 2012.
María Antonieta, who recently celebrated her 50 years in the arts with a show at the Alfaros club in Little Havana, even broadcast live the moment the firefighters and emergency services began to arrive in the area.
In a post on her social media, she expressed her regret about not having heard anything about her cat since the fire.
Calls reporting a fire that broke out in the Temple Court apartments near downtown Miami prompted a swift response from the Miami Fire Department at approximately 8:15 a.m. on June 10.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters successfully rescued the residents who were stranded on the balconies of the building, bringing them to safety.
Francis Suárez worked alongside the Red Cross to quickly assist displaced individuals at the "José Martí" gym by providing them with hot meals, medications, and organizing temporary shelter options for those unable to stay with family or friends.
Manolo Reyes, the city commissioner, explained that they will provide a $250 gift card for food and essential toiletries to each person who enters the shelters.
The residents affected by the fire, many of whom are elderly, will receive assistance for their urgent needs.
The person who was found shot at the entrance of the building has been identified as an employee of Atlantic Housing Management, the company that manages the apartments. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition, according to Local 10 on Monday.
In the last few hours, the identity of the man who allegedly shot the building manager and caused an intentional fire in the property has been revealed. He is a 73-year-old man named Juan Francisco Figueroa, who has a criminal record.
The man now faces charges of attempted murder with a firearm, felony, and arson, according to the jail records.
The fire, which lasted at least five hours, caused the partial collapse of the roof in the western section of the building, even defying the relentless downpour that occurred during the emergency.
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