'I Lost Everything': Morning Blaze Strikes Elderly Couple's Home
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It was a heartbreaking scene in northwest Miami-Dade early Monday morning.
While fire investigators searched through a burned-out home, the elderly homeowners' painful cries could be heard all the way outside.
It was 3:30 a.m. when Rebecca Times and her husband were woken up by the smoke alarm.
They jumped out of bed and saw the front bedroom of their home at 1311 NW 52nd Street up in flames so they quickly rushed out with no time to grab anything, not even their pets.
"As fire crews began to attack fire they searched the home and found 1 cat and two dogs. They brought them out safely to the owners," said City of Miami Capt. Ignatius Carroll.
Within fifteen minutes, firefighters were able to put the fire out and prevent it from spreading. However, the Times' home is unlivable and they are destroyed.
"I lost everything. I am a retiree," said Rebecca Times.
Times said no one was staying in the bedroom where the fire started. She says it was actually being remodeled for the Christmas holiday. Now, all they own is gone.
"It's taken a lot. I have medication. I can't find anything. Everything is gone," said Rebecca Times.
Still, Times says she is grateful she, her husband and pets made it out safely and through her pain, she politely thanked CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez for being there.
Officials said they cannot stress enough the importance of smoke detectors. Had it not been for the fire alarm, the blaze could have had a tragic ending.
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
As for the Times, they will be staying with family for the holidays.
