‘Flames through the roof’: Pompano Beach apartment blaze displaces up to 55 residents

A fire inside a two-story apartment building in Pompano Beach displaced up to 55 residents on Monday morning, according to authorities.

Around 2:25 a.m. firefighters rushed to the Royal Atlantic Apartments, 110 NW 7th Ave., where they found the structure with “flames through the roof,” Sandra King, a spokeswoman with Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, told the Miami Herald in an email Monday afternoon.

Residents told Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami they woke to fire alarms blaring around 2 a.m. and heard people screaming.

“It was hectic and scary. It was just black smoke, we couldn’t barely see anything. We had to use our phone lights to run down the stairs,” Phylicia Eubanks told the TV station.

Michelle Edmund told CBS News Miami that her home is a total loss.

“So immediately I go get my daughter, everybody else was coming out, the police was knocking on everybody’s doors, come out, come out, we had to hurry up and get out,” she said.

Though firefighters were able to quickly contain the blaze in the 22-unit structure, multiple homes suffered smoke damage. There were no injuries and one cat was found dead, King added.

According to authorities, 44 to 55 residents can’t return to their homes as a result. Thirty-four adults, 16 children and three dogs have been moved to an indoor recreation center at Mitchell Moore Park, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation by Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Fire Investigators and the State Fire Marshal,” King said.

American Red Cross volunteers were on site Monday helping to coordinate emergency aid for the affected residents, the organization noted in a news release.

“Red Cross volunteers on the scene are members of the Disaster Action Team, a group of specially trained volunteers who respond to the scene of a local disaster when called upon at any time — day or night,” the organization said. “Red Cross disaster assistance is free of charge, a gift made possible by donations to the Red Cross.”

To donate to the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/donate.