VIDEO: Tribe members are picking up the pieces, one day after a massive fire tore through their reservation in West Miami-Dade. Homes, buildings and historic artwork are gone as a result of the blaze that erupted Sunday night near the Indian Village, just near Southwest Eight Street. 7Skyforce captured the aftermath after over a dozen people were displaced following the fire. A total of five structures and nine vehicles were involved, coupled with the complexity of power lines that collapsed, prevented firefighters from advancing hose lines. One of those structures destroyed by the flames was the Creativity Center, a place filled with Miccosukee history and cultural artifacts. “The only reason I left is because a propane tank exploded right there,” said Khadija Cypress, who has lived at the village for years.
Khadija’ late grandfather, a former chairman of the tribe, helped her found the Creativity Center. “When I look forward, I see this bright orange light and I just went, ‘Hey, there’s a fire!’ And the security guard was like, ‘What?’ I told him, ‘There’s a fire at Mary Jane’s house.’ And that’s when I drove close to it, running to warn people if there was anybody in that house,” said Khadija. “A propane tank exploded right there. Seven years of a lot of hard work gone in, like, 30 seconds. Like, that’s all it took.” Over 25 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the three alarm blaze, locating three structures fully engulfed by flames.
