Days Later, Miami-Dade Firefighters Hitting Hotspots at Warehouse Blaze
Milena Malaver, David Goodhue
Miami Herald
(TNS)
A northwest Miami-Dade warehouse twice the size of a Costco continued to burn on Saturday but is mostly contained as crews work to put out hot spots. Demolition plans have been made for the building.
The massive building is filled with thousands of items, including hazardous and flammable materials.
Crews have been fighting what became a five-alarm fire since Thursday morning. The warehouse is at 20600 NW 47th Ave, about three miles west of Hard Rock Stadium. Fire rescue said early on that putting out the fire could take days.
“It’s difficult to completely extinguish because of the size and the amount of material inside the building that’s been burning,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Jason Richard said Friday morning.
When firefighters arrived shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, the fire had “taken possession of the entire building,” making it too dangerous for crews to enter, according to Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue announced Saturday that a “controlled demolition plan has been established to access deep-seated areas of the fire.”
The thick plumes of black smoke also set off health alerts across the region, including Broward County.
Winds pushed the smoke northwest into Broward County in residential spots such as Miramar and Pembroke Pines, said Chuck Caracozza, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service Miami.
Though on Saturday, MDFR said smoke in the area had greatly decreased compared to Thursday and Friday.
On Saturday, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s active call log still showed dozens of units at the warehouse.
“The sheer amount of material that’s in there varies,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said at a news briefing on Thursday. “There’s thousands of items that are actually carried inside that warehouse; from firewood to astroturf to shampoo to deodorant.
“There is a possibility of this fire burning for a couple of days as a result of the roof that has collapsed on top of this warehouse,” Jadallah said.
Cars left behind
Several employees waited outside in the smoke on Friday, hoping to retrieve cars left behind.
Rosanna Tejera was waiting at the property’s entrance at Northwest 47th Avenue around 11 a.m. so she could pick up her husband’s car, which he was forced to leave behind Thursday.
About 10 other warehouses workers also waited to get their vehicles. Despite the size and intensity of the fire, their vehicles weren’t damaged. One employee wore a company shirt for Global Warehouse Solutions, a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that takes up a majority of the warehouse.
“We’re just glad everyone was able to get out of there safely and on time,” Tejera said. “That’s amazing.”
Collapsed roof
The warehouse is an older structure built with a mix of materials, including concrete walls and a sheet-metal roof.
Jadallah said the roof’s construction allowed the building to be consumed and partially collapse more quickly.
Helicopters were eventually brought in to help fight the flames from above as conditions on the ground became increasingly dangerous.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Resource Management and hazard personnel.
The cause of the fire remains unclear. The Florida Fire Marshal’s Office is expected to investigate in the coming days.
This report will be updated.
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