1 Dead, 1 Hospitalized In Miami-Dade House Fire
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two people rushed to the hospital after a fire in the Olympia Heights neighborhood in SW Miami Dade.
One person was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the burn unit at Kendall Regional Hospital.
"They were both here and I was having breakfast and it was on the new and I just don't know what say or feel right now, I'm devastated," said relative Celia Alonso.
Alonso says her cousin Marta Cecilia Diaz died from the fire.
Investigators believe the first started in this corner of her bedroom.
They're checking to see if it was an electrical problem.
"The main origin of the fire appeared to be in the main bedroom," said Lt. Gerard Forrester with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. "It possibly could have started in the closet area just next to the bed."
Relatives say the family has suffered many tragedies over the years, including one that nearly killed Marta years ago and may have lead to her death in the fire.
"She was in a horrific car accident years ago," Alonso explained. "She underwent 7 or 8 operations. She's been under care. It's kind of hard for her to get up and walk because she can't really."
Neighbors say when the fire first broke out, they didn't realize anything was wrong until they began smelling smoke.
"This morning my husband and I were having coffee in the back yard and we smelled the fire," said neighbor Zoila Calderin. "As soon as we pulled to the front everyone was pulling in, the rescue, the fire trucks."
That's when another neighbor sprang into action, trying to get in and save Marta and her brother Luis Cainas.
"The kid from that house went inside but he couldn't get the person," said neighbor James Martinez. "There was too much smoke."
Neighbors tell us rescuers moved quickly.
"Apparently the doors were locked, they did a good job, they moved pretty fast," Calderin said. "I was concerned. I knew they had dogs, I knew there was somebody in bed. So we were like kind of scared."
Investigators are now trying to figure out what caused the fire in the first place.
Chopper 4 images did not show external damage to the structure.
