Massive fire breaks out in Miami building, building employee found shot to death at scene

A person suspected of firing a gun and starting a three-alarm fire at a Miami apartment building Monday morning — where a building employee was found seriously injured — was in custody, officials said. officials said.

Miami firefighters responded to the fire that broke out around 8:15 a.m. on the third floor of the four-story Temple Court Apartments. As of Monday evening, the fire was under control, but firefighters were still working to put it out, Mayor Francis Suarez said. during a press conference Monday evening.

An unnamed person suspected of intentionally starting the fire and firing a gun was in custody, Suarez said.

Everyone in the building has been accounted for and 43 displaced people will be housed by the property management company in a hotel for the next two weeks, the mayor said.

Miami Fire Department spokesman Lt. Pete Sanchez said the building was “a wood-frame structure,” which explains the “intensity and rapid spread of the fire.”

“Our firefighters immediately intervened and began rescuing more than 40 residents, most of them elderly, either from the balcony or through the front door,” Sánchez said during the press briefing.

More than 70 firefighters and 38 fire trucks responded to the blaze, Miami Fire Department spokesperson Iggy Carroll told NBC News.

Several patients were victims of the fire, including a resident who was transported to hospital for smoke inhalation. Three firefighters were also taken to the hospital in stable condition “for further evaluation,” but two of them have since been released, Miami Fire said in a statement.

A man with a gunshot wound to the torso was also found at the scene and taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to the Miami Fire Department. Temple Court Management identified the man as one of its employees, NBC Miami reported.

“We are still determining the cause of this incident and are looking for additional injuries. Police are investigating and we will assist in any way we can,” Temple Court Management told the media outlet. “We are saddened by everything that happened today, and our thoughts and prayers are with our team member, his family and the residents of the Temple Court community.

It is unclear where the person who was shot was found, or whether the injury was self-inflicted. or if the incident is related to the fire.

Video from the scene shows smoke billowing from the building as firefighters attempted to put out the blaze from the outside. Firefighters had to battle the flames from the outside because it was too dangerous to be inside, Lt. Sanchez said.

“The American Red Cross and Miami Police are assisting residents with their needs and gathering information to establish accountability,” Miami Fire said.

Miami firefighters have asked area residents to stay indoors if they have respiratory illnesses.

The cause of the fire is unclear at this time.