Photo by: wsvn
Crews were able to get the upper hand on a two-alarm fire at a medical center in Tamarac.
Tamarac Fire Rescue responded to the 7400 block of North University Drive at the University Physicians Pavilion, Tuesday afternoon.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene, capturing firefighters battling the flames that broke out on the third floor of the building.
Heavy smoke billowed from the building as crews figured out how to get a water source inside the building. Some of the windows on one of the floors had to be broken into by firefighters to ventilate the area.
“This building is an old building so it doesn’t have fire sprinklers, so it was building up and that’s how it became so large,” said Tamarac Fire Rescue firefighter Van Schoen.
Luckily, crews were able to put the fire under control in half an hour.
The building was filled with people, patients and staff when the fire broke out. All had to race for the exits when the fire alarm started beeping.
At first, KJ, who works at a dermatologist office, thought the alarm was just a drill until she saw smoke.
“We open the door, we saw smoke. So we got our patients, we made sure they were all out, we all came down the stairs and then we were all yelling to get back,” she said.
Larry Rubinoff, who was at the pavilion for an appointment, said he heard the windows shatter and saw the roof caving in.
“So as we came out into the main lobby, all the glass was shattering, the ceiling was crashing in,” he said. “As wide as that window is, the flames encompassed the entire area, so it was surreal like in the movies.”
Another visitor, LS, witnessed the same shocking sight.
“When I heard those windows pop, the two windows on top, they just exploded, I was like ‘OK,’ and when I saw the fire, I was like, ‘This is serious,’” said S. “
Witnesses said the intense heat of the flames shattered the windows.
J said she is thankful the fire didn’t speak earlier in the day where the center tends to be more full.
“We have a lot of elderly patients with walkers. We would’ve had to carry people out. It would’ve been much worse if it had happened earlier in the day so thank God it happened when it did,” she said.
One person was transported to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital due to smoke inhalation. Their condition is unclear.
It remains unclear how the fire began.
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Source: wsvn
