Suspect in fire, shooting at Miami apartment building in custody: Mayor

A person suspected of shooting a worker at a Miami residential building and “intentionally” starting a fire that quickly engulfed the complex is in custody, authorities said.

The fire was reported around 8:15 a.m. ET on Monday at Temple Court Apartments, according to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. More than 125 firefighters battled the blaze for approximately eight hours, he said during a press briefing Monday evening announcing the suspect’s apprehension.

Responding firefighters rescued more than 40 people, including some from their balconies, the mayor said, calling their actions “heroic.” Firefighters conducted seven ladder rescues, he said.

There was an “explosion” following the evacuation, according to Suarez, who said the three-alarm fire was the first of that level in the city in 25 years.

First responders found a man shot inside the building. He was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the torso in critical condition, authorities said.

The person shot is an employee of the complex, according to the property’s manager, Atlantic Housing Foundation, which said it was “shocked and saddened” by the fire and shooting. The shooting is believed to be an isolated incident and the investigation is ongoing, authorities said.

All residents of the building, most of whom are elderly, have been accounted for, Suarez said.

Authorities offered no information about the suspect in the incident.

Firefighters discovered the fire on the third floor of the apartment building, according to Miami Fire-Rescue spokesperson Lt. Pete Sanchez.

The building is a wood-frame structure, which “explains the intensity and the rapid spread of the fire,” he said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Three firefighters were transported to a local hospital in stable condition for further evaluation, according to Sanchez. Two have since been released, he said Monday afternoon.

A resident was also transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation, Sanchez said.

The property’s management company is renting a hotel for the next two weeks for the 43 residents displaced by the fire, according to the mayor.

“We are still determining the cause of these events, and we are checking for other injuries,” Atlantic Housing Foundation said in a statement. “Police are investigating, and we will help in whatever ways we can.”