Discarded cigarette leads to massive fire at northwest Miami-Dade home

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Eight people, including two children, were displaced from their home in northwest Miami-Dade Sunday after a massive fire broke out.

Helmet camera video from Miami-Dade firefighters shows flames fully engulfing the back of the home near Northwest 30th Street and 100th Avenue.

First responders confirmed that the fire erupted just before 2 p.m. Sunday.

“A little overwhelmed, a little stressed out, and honestly, going through a lot of emotions that I don’t know how to deal with,” Francisco Diaz, who lives at the home, said.

Diaz, 35, lives in the back portion of the home and explained to Local 10 News how the fire started.

“I was walking the dogs, and I flicked my cigarette into the yard, and I walked to the front, and all of the sudden, I see fire,” he said.

Diaz said he heard a “pop,” and suddenly that fire quickly spread to items in the backyard and to his back bedroom.

Everything inside that room was destroyed — left blackened and charred.

Diaz said he’s unsure what’s next as he’s lost nearly everything he owns.

“Anything will help,” he said. “I don’t know where to go. My family is in a predicament. My mom is in the hospital and things are just rough.”

Diaz is also urging others to be cautious about fire hazards, saying he flicked his cigarette butts into the backyard every day, never imagining this could happen.

“Everybody has got to be careful, because you never know when things can change,” he said. “Everything happened so quickly. I throw a thousand cigarettes back there, man. Every day I go — three times a day, walk the dogs, and nothing has ever happened, man. Just be careful.”

Despite the significant damage left behind by the blaze, no injuries were reported.