It didn't take long for the fire to rip through and gut the entire first floor of 571 Abingdon Way in the Shenandoah subdivision, forcing the house's owner to race outside, injuring his feet and inhaling smoke during the escape, Davie Fire-Rescue Capt. Brian Nolte said.
When firefighters arrived shortly after 11:15 a.m., they found the owner, whose name was not immediately available, in the front yard and flames coming out of the house's front door and windows. The heat burst the rear windows and a sliding glass door.
Firefighters rushed to the back of the house, where they think the fire started, and began knocking down the blaze.
It took just minutes to extinguish the fire, and the injured man was taken to Cleveland Clinic in Weston for treatment. Firefighters also were looking for three cats the owner had said were inside, Nolte said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A neighbor, Regina Drab, said a police officer knocked on her door to warn her about the fire.
"I saw flames coming out and black smoke coming out," Drab said. "It was so black. I was so afraid, because those flames were coming close."
No one else was injured.
