MIAMI — The smell of blackened, burned rubble still lingers inside the house where an early-morning fire left a family devastated. Outside, debris from the firefight remains scattered around the property.

The fire tore through a duplex near the 1800 block of Northwest 53rd Street Saturday morning around 10:30 a.m., forcing everyone inside to flee.

The blaze is believed to have been caused by an e-bike, though officials say the exact cause is still under investigation.

“With every step,” Josue Paz said as he walked through the damage, he faces heartbreak and devastation.

What was once his family’s living room is now reduced to piles of ash and rubble.

Paz said he was inside the home when an e-bike charging in the house suddenly caught fire.

“Yep, that’s part of the bike. Right there, right there,” he said, pointing to debris.

“I couldn’t really process anything and it just happened,” Paz said.

Paz rushed to get his family out before the flames spread.

“My first thought was getting everybody out of the house. I was trying to call everybody,” he said. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s get out.”

Fire officials say lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and e-scooters have been linked to a growing number of fast-moving fires nationwide. Miami Fire Rescue is still working to determine the exact cause of this fire.

Despite losing everything, Paz said surviving the fire is what matters most.

“I’m glad that I got my neighbors out, I got my family out,” he said.

Six people escaped the fire, along with a dog. They are staying with loved ones as the fire department continues to work to pinpoint how the fire started.

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