Fire Erupts, Guts 3 Mobile Homes Near Miami River

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - There were tense moments Friday morning as a fire engulfed and gutted three mobile homes at the Paradise Trailer Park.

Miami Fire Rescue sent 17 units to the scene and says fortunately no one was injured.

The blaze broke out at the trailer park at N.W. South River Drive and 27th Ave. Miami-Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez says his department received the call at 9:05 a.m. and it took 40 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Sanchez said 13 people and 3 dogs were displaced. Some of the other trailers had smoke damage.

One victim, Juan Miguel Castro, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I have never seen a fire get so hot so quickly. You could not see all of this. It was all black. I was getting ready to take a shower when I started hearing a commotion and started smelling plastic burning. And at the little window by the bathroom, I saw a light flickering and I started to hear screaming. When I opened the door next door the trailer in front was engulfed in flames so I pushed the door out and I came out running. My roommate, I screamed at him get out but he went back in to get the cat."

"Now all I have left is my umbrella and my pants and 2 bags I managed to save," he said.

Castro, who served in the U.S. Army for 6 years, says, fortunately, he has a son who lives in Opa-locka, whom he will be able to live with.

His roommate, Aldo Jose Dennis, said he was able to rescue his cat, Sadie. "I got out and I was able to get the cat out. Now I am waiting for assistance."

The American Red Cross is helping victims.

Aldo Jose Dennis said when the fire broke out, "I heard people screaming call the police, call the police, call the police. Then I started smelling burning plastic. I looked out my door and saw smoke. All my stuff is underwater. My books, my music, my CDs, my DVDs. I am going to keep on living. I could complain but I won't."

He said there was a delay in firefighters getting water onto the trailers but Sanchez said he had heard of no serious problems or delays. He said Fire Rescue responded swiftly.

Brandy Sarut, who lives at the trailer park, said she tried to rescue victims. "We literally started pulling down fences and knocking on people's doors. We were trying to help and get people out. There were more than 6 or 7 people in there and we were the first ones on the scene," she said.

"I am outraged right now," she said. "These are innocent lives and I don't know how the fire started but I want to know."

"I live in the trailer in back and we were being told look at the flames and I thought it was my father's trailer so I went over to see if it was my father's trailer but it was not," she said.

Sanchez said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

"The fire took 40 minutes to bring under control and we were dealing with mobile home where there is a lot of plastic and a lot of wood and that takes time to extinguish. This type of incident was very challenging. It happened off a narrow road and the mobile homes were close to each other with a lot of wood and plastic."

Sylvia Gonzalez, a resident of the Trailer Park, was not at home when the fire broke out but rushed back to the scene when she heard about what happened.

"I live with my parents and my daughter and I was really worried about them because these trailer parks can catch fire quickly with any little spark," she said.