Historic Little Havana House Goes Up In Flames

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Clouds of smoke filled the air near downtown Miami Sunday morning. Crews spent hours putting out a fire at a home that was actually deemed a historic property – built more than 100 years ago.

“The smoke has drifted to downtown Miami, causing concern for a number of residents thinking they have a fire in their neighborhood,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll.

Carroll said they got the call around 9 a.m. to the two-story abandoned property at 1016 SW 13 Court.

“Firefighters tried to get inside, but the amount of flames were so heavy that we had to pull some units back and take more of a defensive approach,” he explained.

SEE IT: Miami Fire Rescue Fights Blaze At Historic Little Havana House

A total of 21 units were on the scene with more than 50 firefighters tackling the blaze. They evacuated a nearby apartment building and surrounding homes to be safe.

“We understand this building was abandoned and was also posted by the city of Miami of being an unsafe structure,” Carroll said.

SEE IT: Miami Fire Rescue Puts Out Blaze At Historic Little Havana House

The home is one the city of Miami has designated as a historic property.

According to Historic Preservation Miami, the Ramsey Residence, also known as the Little Havana House, was built in 1918.

The Ramsey family founded A.H. Ramsey & Sons, a company instrumental in the development of Miami.

The Ramsey family owned the property for 55 years. It was sold in 1977, and then again in 2000.

It’s unclear how long the property had sat vacant.

Carroll said nobody was hurt. The department still doesn’t know what caused the fire, but it is being investigated.