Massive fire breaks out at Miami apartment, man found shot inside

While firefighters were battling a large blaze at a residential building in Miami, a man who worked there was also found shot inside, authorities said.

The fire was reported around 8:15 a.m. Monday at the Temple Court Apartments, according to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

The mayor called firefighters’ actions “heroic” after they rescued more than 40 people, including some who had escaped from balconies. He said there was an “explosion” after the evacuation.

Authorities are working to determine how many of the apartment complex’s residents, most of whom are elderly, were home when the fire began.

Mayor Suarez said all firefighters had been evacuated because it was too dangerous to fight the three-alarm blaze, the city’s first in 25 years, from inside the building.

Firefighters continued battling the blaze after trying to contain it in one section of a residential building, where “thankfully the situation is much better,” Suarez said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

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.

Another man was found shot inside the building and 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 it was “shocked and saddened” by the fire and shooting.

“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.”

Authorities said the shooting appears to be an isolated incident and the investigation remains ongoing.

“Anything we say right now is pure speculation,” Miami City Commissioner Manolo Reyes told reporters at a press conference Monday afternoon. “I know, and I promise you, the truth will come out in due course.”

“The most pressing issue we have right now is people who have lost their homes,” he continued.

The Red Cross is helping provide food and shelter for the evacuees.