Dec. 07--A fire broke out at the J&J Coin Laundry, 2322 NW Seventh St., in Miami at 5:30 p.m. Friday afternoon and quickly consumed the two-story structure.
Five or six customers were inside the laundromat when one noticed smoke pouring out of a vent near the clothes dryers. The building was immediately evacuated and Miami-Fire Rescue units responded, intending to contain the blaze.
But flames started traveling through the structure's air ducts, and the combination of lint, clothing and other flammable materials, combined with an increasingly unstable roof, forced the firefighters out after 45 minutes.
Lt. Ignatius Carroll, spokesperson for City of Miami Fire-Rescue, said a total of 20 units and 40 firefighters were eventually called in and spent two hours getting the flames under control.
Carroll said the structure was permanently damaged and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Copyright 2013 - The Miami Herald
