43 people displaced after Temple Court Apartments fire in Miami – NBC 6 South Florida

There is now so much uncertainty for dozens of residents of a Miami apartment building that caught fire Monday in what authorities said was an intentional fire.

Many of those who left everything behind to escape the flames in the Temple Court apartments were spending the night at a shelter in José Marti Park.

It was around 8:30 a.m. when thick smoke began billowing from the two-building apartment complex housing mostly elderly people.

This is the first three-alarm fire the city of Miami has seen in 25 years.

The Temple Court Apartments fire is Miami's first third-alarm fire in 25 years, Mayor Francis Suarez said.

When police arrived, they not only encountered flames, but also an injured maintenance worker who had been shot.

Mayor Francis Suarez said a suspect is in custody and police believe he is responsible for the shooting and starting the fire.

Cristhian Dominguez's grandparents were among the 43 people now displaced.

“We have to find them a place to live now because that’s where they lived and I don’t even know how bad the damage is,” Dominguez said.

On Monday, Commissioner Keon Hardemon's staff brought bags of blankets as the Red Cross worked to provide the displaced with food and other necessities.

Authorities are investigating a shooting and massive fire at a Miami apartment building.

“We are all homeless now,” said Mercedes Gouthmann, whose apartment was on the first floor.

She managed to escape with her son, who has special needs, her dog and some important documents.

“I don't have the medicine I take for my thyroid or my blood pressure, I have nothing and I'm devastated. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us,” Gouthmann said.

Ruth told NBC6 she saw her grandmother being rescued by firefighters.

“There are heirlooms and heirlooms that have been traditionally passed down from generation to generation that we don't know if we'll be able to get,” she said. “And it’s irreplaceable.”

It took 126 firefighters eight hours to put out the flames.

According to Suarez, the property management company has rented a hotel to house the 43 displaced people for the next two weeks. It's unclear what will happen to them after that.

“This was their home, so where are they going now, that’s the most important question,” Dominguez said.

The motive for the shooting and fire remains under investigation. The maintenance worker who was shot was in critical condition in hospital.