The former residents of an apartment building destroyed by a voracious fire in Miami last June, including several Cubans, began a new chapter in their lives by moving this Monday to a modern condominium in Downtown.
The more than 60 families living in the Temple Court Apartments complex, located at 431 Northwest 3rd Street, which was engulfed in flames on June 10 and had to be demolished a week later due to the risk of collapse, received comfortable housing in the Sawyer’s Walk building in downtown Miami.
The Atlantic Housing Foundation, owner of Temple Court, and the City of Miami handed over new homes to the displaced tenants after the disaster, mostly elderly and disabled individuals. The building is located at 249 NW 6th Street, very close to their former building, and the apartments feature modern facilities and equipment as well as all the necessary amenities.
"A great day in our city! A new chapter awaits the residents of Temple Court Apartments, who today moved into their new permanent home just a couple of blocks from their previous residence. Now at Sawyer’s Walk, they have new appliances, modern facilities, and nice amenities," celebrated Miami Mayor Francis Suárez.
Additionally, he thanked the commissioner for District 1, Miguel Gabela, and the chairwoman of the Miami City Commission, Christine King, for "playing a decisive role in completing this relocation."
People benefiting from the new apartments expressed their gratitude for this opportunity, after three months of staying in hotels and at the homes of family and friends while waiting for a solution. "We have gone through some very difficult days, and we have been suffering for months, but thank God, we are finally here," said an excited woman.
"Today is a very nice day for the residents of the city of Miami who lost their homes in the massive fire. Today they come to a brand new building in the same neighborhood and some affordable housing, which is what they had before," commented Mayor Suárez to América TeVé. "It was a great tragedy because they lost all their possessions, but today we can restore a little bit of the dignity they lost."
The large-scale fire that devastated Temple Court began on the morning of June 10 and was started by one of the tenants, Juan Francisco Figueroa, 73 years old, who was arrested and taken to the TGK jail in Miami-Dade.
The man also shot a service employee of the building, Feder Biotte, 30 years old, who was found injured after the fire broke out but managed to survive.
Figueroa was accused of attempted homicide, first-degree arson, and the display of a firearm while committing a felony.
The burned building was partially destroyed. County authorities determined that the structure posed an imminent collapse risk and decided to demolish it, which was carried out on June 18. Former residents were unable to retrieve their personal belongings.
In the apartment complex lived several Cubans, including the singer María Antonieta Fernández, who said she lost everything in the disaster.
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