At least two families tragically lost their homes following separate fires in Vero and Boynton Beaches over the weekend, according to local media.
The first fire broke out Saturday at a home near 21st Court in Vero Beach. At least seven people were displaced after the fire engulfed their home. Of the seven people, five are children.
Sunday morning in Boynton Beach, a family of three and their dogs were displaced after a fire started near NW 10th Court, a home in the Skylake neighborhood.
Firefighters put out a blaze at a high-rise in North Miami Beach that caught fire overnight Saturday, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
Emergency responders were called out to the area just before 7 p.m. Friday after getting reports that a 10-story apartment building near the 3700 block of Northeast 166th Street had caught fire. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from an apartment on the sixth floor and evacuated everyone inside. The fire did not spread to nearby units.
At least three people were treated at the scene by paramedics but did not require transport to a nearby hospital. One resident told reporters that she noticed debris falling onto her balcony. She ran from her apartment and knocked on the doors of her neighbors to alert them before fleeing the building.
7-year-old Calder Sloan was in his swimming pool with Gary, the son of his nanny, who was watching Calder and his younger brother Caleb in their home in North Miami Beach when the unthinkable happened. Gary felt a shock and jumped out of the water yelling for Calder to do the same. Calder did not hear him as he was swimming under water at the time. A split second later, Calder was thrown out of the water. Neighbors rushed to the backyard, performed CPR while getting zapped themselves.
Calder was rushed to Jackson North Medical Center, but the young boy could not survive the jolt of electricity that went through his body. The Miami Herald reported power source could have been as much as 120 volts.
A photograph of the pool light showed rust and corrosion which further evidences an electrical circuit issue with the repairs. Calder’s father, Chris Sloan, told media that about nine months ago, he had an electrician fix the pool light which was not working properly.
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