On Monday, the Hialeah police released a video from the body cameras of officers who recently rescued an elderly Cuban man who was a victim of a fire in a building in the city.
The images show how officials and rescuers enter the burnt home and, after rescuing the elderly person, perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in the hallway leading to the apartment. They then carry him down to finally transport him to a medical center.
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 identified himself as the son of the elderly couple in previous statements to Telemundo 51, his mother, named Silvia, was able to escape the apartment in time, while his father, Andrés, was trapped until he was rescued.
Both are hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital. As of 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 identities of the other two hospitalized individuals have not been disclosed.
Gustavo Azoy specified that an electrical short in a portable air conditioner—since the central air system in the apartment was broken—could have been the cause of the incident.
However, authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
The apartment was completely destroyed and deemed 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 for the elderly and their pet.
Residents of the building recounted the moments of panic they experienced upon noticing the fire. Due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide, the police fully evacuated the building, affecting even the residents of the neighboring property.
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