MIAMI – Miami firefighters extinguished a large fire that erupted Friday morning at an abandoned warehouse.
According to Miami Fire Rescue officials, the fire was reported at 6:06 a.m. in the area of Northeast Second Avenue and 78th Street.
Sky 10 was above the scene at 7:20 a.m. as heavy flames and smoke were coming from the building.
“Little River Building & Home Supplies” was written on the outside of the building.
Firefighters said a lot of wood is burning at the scene.
“When crews arrived, they found a vacant lumber warehouse with heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. The incident was immediately upgraded to a Code 1 working fire, bringing additional resources to the scene,” Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said in an email to Local 10 News. “Firefighters entered the structure with hose lines and began an aggressive attack on the fire. At the same time, crews conducted a search of the building, which was confirmed to be clear of any occupants.”
According to Sanchez, firefighters were evacuated from inside the building about 10 minutes after arriving due to risk of a localized collapse.
“Firefighters then shifted to a defensive strategy, using hose lines and aerial devices from the outside to contain the fire,” he said.
According to Sanchez, one firefighter was transported to a local hospital due to heat exhaustion and a back injury.
“Luckily and fortunately, he is stable,” Sanchez said.
The building was formerly home to Little River Building & Home Supply -- a business Reza Haghayegh and his family ran for more than four decades before moving from that location two years ago.
“You know, we’re down the street, so every day we go by here,” Haghayegh said.
The building has changed hands since then, but still holds fond memories for Haghayegh as it was the site of family gatherings and food giveaways for the community.
“We were heartbroken,” he said about Friday’s fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.