Man injured in Virginia Gardens training exercise fire dies; police say victim was related to MDFR firefighter – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – A man injured when a fire broke out during a fire drill in Virginia Gardens has died, police said, as questions remain about the incident.

Miami-Dade police confirmed the death of the 28-year-old victim on Saturday evening, adding that he was a relative of a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue firefighter.

Hours earlier, 7News cameras caught MDFR entering Ryder Trauma Center, a day after the victim was brought there in extremely critical condition, with some firefighters consoling each other.

Also on Saturday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava spoke about the fire.

“Some trainees also took part in this event and unfortunately, as you know, there was a devastating fire,” she said.

The fire broke out Friday morning when a drill went horribly wrong at a building near the 6500 block of Northwest 36th Street.

Firefighters from the MDFR, firefighters from Saudi Arabia and other trainees took part in the exercise.

According to a 7News source, it was supposed to be just a small tar kettle fire for demonstration purposes, but when too much fuel was put into the kettle, the flames got out of control.

The source said there was a flash in the building and visibility was lost afterward.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, a firefighter is down. We’re taking him down the stairs,” a paramedic said over the radio.

Reinforcements were called and the fire alarm was raised to level 3. Dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene and worked on the building for hours.

7Skyforce recorded the smoke rising from the building.

“Unfortunately, the person had to be taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation from the fire,” Levine Cava said.

7News cameras captured the injured man being rolled out of a rescue helicopter at Jackson Memorial Hospital. MDFR instructor Francisco Camero could be seen standing next to the victim.

Two other people were also injured.

Emergency personnel and emergency vehicles were seen outside the fire scene on Saturday. Camero was also seen outside the trauma center on Saturday morning.

Hours later, police confirmed that the victim, who had been flown in by helicopter, had succumbed to his injuries. According to a 7News source, he was the son of an MDFR employee who had been brought to the demonstration.

The source said safety regulations for live ammunition shooting training were not followed.

Several agencies are investigating the fire, including the Florida State Fire Marshal and the Miami-Dade Police Homicide Bureau.

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