A fire early Tuesday morning in a five-story residential building in Flagami, west of Miami, forced the evacuation of dozens of residents.
Among those affected were elderly individuals, bedridden people, and wheelchair users. The incident left 15 displaced and two people hospitalized, according to authorities.
According to Miami Fire Rescue, 35 fire units responded to the emergency at Blue Lakes Apartments, located at 5275 NW 7th Street, near NW 53 Avenue, after receiving the alert around 2:30 AM.
The fire originated in apartment 410, on the fourth floor of the building, which has a total of 52 units.
Upon arriving at that floor, firefighters encountered an extreme situation: “Thick smoke filled the hallway and visibility was nearly zero,” as described by the rescuers themselves to CBS Miami. The flames took between 30 and 40 minutes to be brought under control.
The profile of the residents made the evacuation an especially complex operation. The building houses numerous elderly individuals, bedridden persons, and others who depend on wheelchairs, which required firefighters to physically assist them in getting out of the building.
The situation worsened because the only elevator in the building was damaged by water, leaving those who cannot use the stairs without an independent way out.
Four people were assessed on the scene; two of them were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation and were in stable condition.
Although the flames were mostly contained to the apartment where they originated, the smoke and water caused damage in other areas of the building, including the fourth floor, where 12 apartments—eight of which were occupied—became uninhabitable immediately.
The fire occurred in one of the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of Cuban-Americans in South Florida. In August 2026, a similar incident in a building in Little Havana displaced more than twenty residents.
The American Red Cross arrived at the site to assess the needs of the displaced and coordinate the necessary assistance, which may include temporary housing, food, clothing, and emotional support.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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