VIDEO: Four people and a K-9 were able to get out of a burning home in Margate. Around 40 firefighters from Margate, North Lauderdale Fire Rescue and other agencies responded to the home off Southwest 69th Avenue, Thursday afternoon.
7News cameras captured the garage door of the home opened and the roof partially collapsed in the aftermath of the blaze. Upon arrival of fire crews, smoke and flames could be seen billowing from the home. Four of six habitants were in the home when the fire erupted and were able to get out to safety before fire crews arrived.
Firefighters quickly were able to get the upper hand on the blaze and extinguish it within 10 minutes. Officials said the fire started somewhere in the back room. They said the fire fight was tricky because the flames rose into the attic due to the roomโs windows being open.
โWe were unsure if they had air conditioning working or not. They just had all the windows open and the fire actually traveled outside of that window into the soffit area, into the attic on the back side of the building,โ said Oscar Rodriguez, Margate Fire Department Battalion Chief. The home is no longer habitable due to the roofโs collapse, according to officials. The Red Cross has been called to help the displaced family of six.
Witnesses said they are glad everyone made it out safe. โAll you can do is pray and, you know, hope they find what they need and hope for the best,โ said neighbor Hannah Batchelor. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The State Fire Marshal is also looking into this incident.
