VIDEO: A woman was critically injured in a fire at a medical facility in Tamarac on Tuesday. The fire broke out on the third floor of the University’s Physician Pavilion next to Woodmont Hospital off North University Drive. Video from witnesses showed heavy flames and smoke coming from the building. Chopper 6 was overhead and captured firefighters working to put out the flames. Officials said a woman suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation in the fire and was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Her identity wasn’t released but officials said she was being transferred to a nearby burn unit. Kristian Johnston said she was working in a dermatology office when she and her patient heard the alarms.
“I was actually with a patient when it happened. The fire alarm went off, we thought it could possibly be a drill or something,” Johnston said. “As soon as we opened the door it was immediate we saw smoke, so we got our patient. We kind of came around the building, we saw, like we heard a loud pop, and then all of a sudden flames are coming through the window and all the glass kinda shattered.” Crews were able to get the fire under control in about 30 minutes. Fire officials said it could have been much worse if the fire had broken out earlier in the day when the building typically has older patients coming through. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
