Home declared total loss after fire; no injuries

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Fierce flames lit up the night sky, Saturday, leaving a home charred to a crisp.

A massive blaze broke out in Southwest Miami-Dade, Saturday night. According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, flames shot up up to 25 feet into the air at the home on Southwest 140th Street and 103rd Avenue.

The owner said he went out for a walk and had no idea how the fire started. "I don't know," said the owner. "There was a fire through the window. I opened the door, and the whole house exploded on me."

Thankfully, the man said there was no one home at the time and that included his pets. Fire Rescue found one of his dogs outside in the yard.

The blaze was so intense, firefighters were forced make a defensive attack. They could not immediately go inside and part of the concern became the neighboring homes. "When they showed up," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief George Mira, "there was such heavy flames involved that they felt it would be a little too dangerous for guys to go in and make an initial interior attack, so they decided to go into defensive mode and protect the houses on the other sides."

Neighbors were also worried about their own homes. "I just saw big flames, and I came running over," said Henry Torres. "I have two kids in the house, so I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't gonna spread to my house."

The home is now completely uninhabitable. "There's a lot of damage," said a man. "It's a total loss."

None of the neighboring homes were affected by the flames.

(Copyright 2013 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)