Electrical fire forces residents to evacuate condo in Northeast Miami-Dade

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A condominium complex in Northeast Miami-Dade caught fire Tuesday morning causing residents to evacuate the building.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said a fire broke out inside a building at Wilshire Condominium, located off Northeast Miami Gardens Drive near 14th Avenue.

Authorities said the fire started in the building’s electrical room, sending smoke throughout the building and forcing families to evacuate.

“Everybody got kicked out and there was a lot of smoke,” said Valerie Solivan, who lives in the building. “They had us sleeping in the lobby of the other building with little beds.”

Residents were seen packing up and leaving as fire rescue officials deemed the building unsafe.

Solivan and her family told Local 10 News that they were able to get help from the Red Cross after the fire broke out.

The building is nearly 200 units and 10 stories tall.

Solivan said it wasn’t easy walking up each flight of stairs just to grab diapers for her sister and wanted to know what happened and why.

“We don’t know anything–it’s horrible,” she said. “The president isn’t talking, nobody is talking.”

Solivan says that she believes the fire could’ve been prevented if there had been more maintenance workers.

Residents found a code compliance note on the door with violations saying that the building must be repaired or demolished, which cited “falling away building material and hazardous electrical or mechanical installations.”

Authorities and construction workers said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.