Two people were found dead inside a burning Kendall home on Friday, officials said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the burning home at 9 a.m. and found two adults dead when the flames were extinguished, confirmed Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Officer Samantha Choon. The police agency’s homicide unit arrived shortly after and is now heading the investigation.
Fire Rescue had 21 units at the house in the 10800 block of Southwest 67th Drive in Kendall. The call was upgraded to a second-alarm fire for additional support.
The house’s structure made it difficult for firefighters to locate and extinguish several spot fires. Crews removed shutters from the home for ventilation.
Whether the two victims — who have not been identified —were the only people in the home during the blaze or are the house’s sole residents is still unknown, according to MDSO.
Hours earlier, a police scanner reported one of the victims suffered a gunshot wound, but MDSO officials said that the cause of death — whether by flame or gunfire — is unknown until determined by the county’s medical examiner.
Family members of the victims looked on behind police tape and were heard asking authorities for answers on the fire. They declined to comment to reporters on the scene, asking for privacy.
Neighbors are having trouble getting back home as deputies have blocked off the surrounding streets
Allyson Acosta, 22, from Utah, moved two homes over from the scorched house two weeks ago.
She was denied entry to her home, where she lives with her girlfriend and several roommates, after returning from her morning shift as a barista.
“I was just coming home and I see everybody piled up here and a lot of ambulances,” she said.
By MILENA MALAVER/Miami Herald