Family of 5 displaced after fierce flames destroy home

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A fast-moving fire tore through a South Florida home Monday night, leaving a family of five homeless.

The blaze broke out at the home located on Southwest 56th Street and 123rd Avenue. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue captured the intense fire on camera. "It got so dangerous inside with so much fire spreading and weakening us, we called for a second alarm and had the units retreat from the home and go into a defensive mode," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lieutenant Elkin Sierra. "We attacked the fire from the outside, from all angles. The fire was growing quite rapidly, so we called for a third alarm."

The blaze lasted nearly two hours, and at one point 100 firefighters were on the scene battling the fire. Flames reached 30 feet high and destroyed nearly everything inside the home that sits on a two-acre lot. Resendo Salvador, who manages property across the street,said he put water on his lawn because he wasn't sure if a spark would jump over and catch the home on fire, too.

Officials are on the scene sifting through a pile of debris and ash looking for what might have sparked the blaze. "We're definitely looking for a needle in a haystack here. It's such a large home, a lot of debris piled high, so it will be quite the effort to find what caused this fire," said Sierra.

The family of five was not home at the time of the fire, and they are said to be staying with family members.

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