MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A house fire in Miami Gardens left one person dead on Tuesday morning.
Around 3:15 a.m., fire rescue crews immediately got to work when they responded to a home on Northwest 80th Street near Northwest 33rd Court. Officials said one person was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
King Johnson lives in the house that caught on fire with his 80-year-old grandmother and an uncle in his 60s. He said he woke up to the smell of smoke when the blaze broke out.
Family members identified the uncle as 66-year-old Thomens Phanor. Despite being rescued from the home, Phanor died in the hospital.
“I just jumped up,” recalled King Johnson, who survived the fire. “Something told me to jump up so I jumped up and ran out the door and I’m like what’s up with that smell.”
He managed to unlock the bars that surrounded the abode and help his grandmother escape.
“[My uncle] was still in there,” said Johnson. “My grandma told me that her brother was still in there and I said, ‘I gotta go back in there.’ So I grabbed a shirt and put it over my face. I ran all the way to the back, but it was smoky, so I couldn’t find him in the back by the kitchen. They said he ended up in the side hallway.”
Firefighters said they had trouble entering the home.
“Of course, we understand why people put bars on their home, for their protection, however, it was very difficult getting into this home because there was a lot of barriers that prevented us from getting in,” said Captain Gervase Wellington with Miami Fire Rescue. “Eventually we did get to the victim.”
Officials have placed a notice outside that deems the home unliveable. The American Red Cross is now working with the family to find them a place to live.
“We’re family, we always got each other, so somebody in our family will probably house them and make sure their all taken care of,” said Ashley Johnson, grandaughter of the home owner.
The homeowner has resided at the home for 50 years. The family is now hoping to rebuild and our also facing funeral expenses.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family. If you would like to help, click here.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.