MIAMI – Miami police announced the arrest of a 73-year-old man accused of shooting another man and starting a massive fire at a Miami apartment complex that displaced more than 40 residents Monday Morning.
The three-alarm fire ripped through a Miami apartment complex and also turned into a shooting investigation.
Miami police said they were called to the Temple Court Apartments complex at 431 NW 3rd Street and found a man on the third floor who had been shot. He was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
According to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, calls about the fire came in around 8:15 a.m.
“We received several calls reporting a fire at that location. We arrived on scene and found that a person had been shot. That person was transported to JMH (Jackson Memorial Hospital). At the same time, our firefighters were responding to this fire and I saw this fire intensifying,” Suarez said.
The mayor said it was the firstThree-alarm light in 25 years. » A three-alarm fire means three separate fire stations responded to the fire.
In addition to the person shot, 4 other people required medical assistance. A Miami fire official said three firefighters had to be hospitalized and one resident had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Two of those firefighters have since left the hospital.
Authorities said more than 40 mostly elderly residents were rescued from the fire.
On Monday afternoon, law enforcement told CBS News Miami that a suspect was taken into custody and was arrested in Allapattah. He was identified as Juan Francisco Figueroa.
Sources say Figueroa got into an argument with an employee at Temple Court Apartments and then started the fire.
That employee was identified as Feder Biotte, 31, Monday evening. He was rushed to Jackson Memorial and is said to be in critical condition.
CBS News Miami
Miami firefighters said that when they arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from a third-floor window of the building, which is four stories tall, has more than 40 units and is near the downtown area. city of Miami.
“When we arrived, we found heavy smoke and flames coming from a third floor window. As we began to enter the building, we saw that it was occupied and we saw the flames begin to moving quickly through the floor our focus was trying to get everyone out and trying to contain the fire,” Miami Fire Capt. Ignatius Carroll said.
At least 30 people were rescued from the building, including many elderly people in wheelchairs. One person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, according to the Miami Fire Department.
“The fire started to spread, from the first floor to the second floor, to the fourth floor. Firefighters came to get us so we could go down the stairs. We couldn’t go down the ladder because we had someone ‘A.” in a wheelchair,” said a man who lives in the building.
Residents of the building reported hearing explosions as they walked to safety. Carroll said they evacuated as many people as possible from the complex. He said the building has a common attic that allows the fire to spread. More than 40 teams were mobilized to fight the fire.
“Right now we’re just trying to get better control so it doesn’t spread to any of the other buildings,” Carroll said. “It’s a very stubborn fire that spreads throughout the building, which obviously makes it very difficult to hit when you’re doing a defensive attack. What happens is the fire spreads into areas that don’t are treated by no water or fire hose.
Carroll said it was a complex fire to fight.
“The hardest part is you can’t see anything, but you also start to compromise the floors. We understand that the third floor area likely collapsed as a result, so safety is our number one priority,” Carroll said .
The building contains numerous wooden infrastructures, which fueled the fire. Carroll said access to the sides of the building was also limited, making it difficult to place their trucks in the optimal position.
A cooling station was installed nearby to help firefighters. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion, they were listed as stable.
A reunification center was set up at the José Marti Park Community Center to allow family and friends to contact loved ones who live in the building.
On Monday afternoon, Atlantic Housing Management released the following statement:
“We are very saddened to confirm that this morning, June 10, 2024, one of our employees at Temple Court was shot and transported to a nearby hospital where he is currently being treated. Two buildings also experienced a fire and firefighters are actively working to restore them. We are still determining the cause of these events and are looking for additional injuries. The police are investigating and we will help in any way we can. We are working with the Red Cross, who have brought drinks and snacks. help our displaced residents. We are also working to provide meals and housing to those who have been affected. We will update as soon as we have more information. We are saddened by everything that happened today, and our thoughts and prayers are with you. you, our team member, their family and the residents of the Temple Court community.