Massive fire breaks out at Miami apartment building, employee of building found shot at scene

A massive three-alarm fire broke out at a Miami apartment building Monday morning and an employee of the building was found shot at the scene, officials said.

The fire at the Temple Court Apartments erupted at around 8:15 a.m. and is still ongoing, Miami Fire Rescue said a little after noon.

“On arrival, multiple residents were rescued and evacuated,” Miami Fire Rescue said in post on X.

Many residents of the building are elderly with mobility issues and needed to be rescued from their balconies, NBC Miami reported. The fire broke out on the third floor of the building.

Over 70 firefighters and 38 fire trucks are on the scene of the ongoing blaze as of 10:25 a.m., Miami Fire Rescue spokesperson Iggy Carroll told NBC News.

There are multiple patients as a result of the fire, including two firefighters who were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion and one resident.

Firefighters also found a person with a gunshot wound when they first arrived on scene, according to Miami Fire Rescue. Temple Court Management identified the person as one of their employees, NBC Miami reported.

“We are still determining the cause of these events, and we are checking for other injuries. Police are investigating, and we will help in whatever ways we can,” Temple Court Management told the outlet. “We are grieved by all that has happened today, and our thoughts and prayers are with our team member and his family and residents of the Temple Court community.”

It’s not clear where exactly the individual was found, if the wound was self-inflicted or if the incident is related to the fire.

Video from the scene showed smoke billowing from the apartment building as firefighters attempt to extinguish the fire from the outside.

Miami police are on the scene assisting with the fire, and warned residents against entering nearby Lummus Park “to prevent any potential harm.”

The cause of the fire is not clear at this time.