Authorities said dozens of people were rescued from the building.
A man has been arrested after he allegedly shot a worker at a Miami residential building and “intentionally” started a fire that quickly devoured the entire building, authorities said.
The fire broke out at about 8:15 a.m. ET on Monday at the Temple Court Apartments, according to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. More than 125 firefighters battled the blaze for about eight hours, the mayor said at a press conference announcing the suspect’s arrest on Monday evening.
The mayor said firefighters rescued more than 40 people, including those who had fled from balconies, calling their actions “heroic.” Firefighters performed seven ladder rescues, he said.
Suarez said there was an “explosion” after the evacuation and that the three-alarm fire was the city’s largest in 25 years.
Emergency responders found a man inside the building who had been shot, and he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the torso, authorities said.
The Atlantic Housing Foundation, which manages the property, said the person who was shot was an employee of the facility and that the foundation was “shocked and saddened” by the fire and shooting. Authorities said the shooting appears to be an isolated incident and the investigation is ongoing.
Suarez said all residents of the building, most of whom are elderly, had been accounted for.
Authorities did not provide any information about any suspects in the incident.
Firefighters discovered the blaze on the third floor of an apartment building, said Lt. Pete Sanchez, a spokesman for Miami Fire-Rescue.
The building is made of wood, which “explains why the fire was so intense and spread so quickly,” he said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The three firefighters were in stable condition and were taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, Sanchez said. Two have since been released, Sanchez said Monday afternoon.
One resident also suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital, Sanchez said.
The mayor said a property management company will rent a hotel for the next two weeks to accommodate the 43 residents displaced by the fire.
“We are still determining the cause of the incident and are checking to see if there are any other injuries,” the Atlantic Housing Foundation said in a statement. “Police are investigating and we will provide any assistance we can.”
