Miami-Dade firefighters responded to the Miccosukee Reservation Sunday night after multiple homes caught fire.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, over 25 MDFR units responded to the fires at the Miccosukee Indian Village near the 37700 block of Southwest Eighth Street just before 8:40 p.m.
“MDFR units arrived to find three fully engulfed structures with possible extension to nearby vehicles,” MDFR said in an email to Local 10 News. “Crews quickly began a fire attack to extinguish the fire, while protecting adjacent exposures.”
Firefighters later confirmed that the fire had spread to two additional buildings and nine vehicles.
“When our units arrived, they were met by a very extreme, challenging fire,” Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said. “A total of five structures and nine vehicles were involved, coupled with the complexity of powerlines that collapsed, preventing firefighters from advancing hose lines to the adjacent structures.”
“We as a community are devastated and much was lost, but culture and resilience thrives within our people and we are thankful that no one was hurt,” Miccosukee Tribe Chairman Talbert Cypress said.
Joseph Osceola, who lives about a mile or two away from where the fire started, told Local 10 News that the fire was very large.
“All I know is that somebody’s house (caught) on fire and it was real big and it was real hot,” he said. “It looked crazy, it was sad.”
According to MDFR, residents in nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
“The fire was upgraded to a 3rd Alarm for additional manpower, due to winds spreading fire embers and exposed power lines,” MDFR said.
No injuries were reported.
“What we have lost there is a lot of history, in terms of the patchwork and in terms of the kind of stitching and sewing that has been done over the decades. So a lot of that we can’t get back,” Senior Policy Advisor of the Miccosukee Tribe, Curtis Osceola, said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“I don’t know what caused it. It was dangerous, it was real hot also,” Osceola said. “I am not close to the fire and I can still feel the heat. There were also a bunch of explosions.”
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
