More than 200 Miami-Dade firefighters were working at a northwest warehouse fire that sent thick, black smoke over nearby neighborhoods, and officials urged residents in miami to stay indoors and close windows to avoid health impacts. Chief Ray Jadallah said crews evacuated workers and have not reported injuries as the blaze continued to burn.
Miami firefighters at Global Warehouse Solutions facing a fifth-alarm emergency
More than 200 Miami-Dade firefighters were operating on scene at Global Warehouse Solutions, located at 20600 Northwest 47th Avenue, after arriving to find the structure fully involved, Chief Ray Jadallah said. Miramar Fire Rescue also responded with the initial 911 calls, and the number of personnel on scene exceeded 200 as crews worked to blunt the flames and protect neighboring businesses.
Ray Jadallah describes roof collapse, scale of materials and smoky conditions
Ray Jadallah said the warehouse, which he described as just over twice the size of a Costco warehouse, carried thousands of items that complicated firefighting efforts. He said the fire escalated to a second, third and eventually a fifth alarm, and that the roof had collapsed, a factor that left charred pockets of smoldering material that could keep the blaze burning for a couple of days.
Jadallah added that crews were monitoring the area to prevent brush fires and that state and county partners were on scene, including the Florida Forestry Service, Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, Miami-Dade’s Department of Emergency Management and the state Fire Marshal, who will lead the investigation into the cause of the fire.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and Miramar police close roads and send alerts to residents
Road closures were put in place around Northwest 47th Avenue, with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announcing the closure from Northwest 199th Street to Northwest 215th Street. Officials planned to open the northbound lanes of 47th Street overnight, while the southbound lanes closest to the fire were to remain closed going into Friday morning.
Miramar police said they were assisting with traffic diversions at Palm Avenue, blocking the southbound travel lanes and the southbound U-turn lane to prevent potential accidents. An alert was sent to homes and businesses within a 5 mile radius of the warehouse fire because of poor air quality, and emergency crews asked people to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
Nearby residents described watching the smoke and worrying about stored items. One woman said in Spanish that she learned of the blaze after a phone call from her husband and that a food truck she stores near the warehouse had been burning for hours; workers at the warehouse had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.
For now, more than 200 firefighters remain on scene at Global Warehouse Solutions, working to extinguish hot spots and prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring properties. Officials confirmed that state and county teams will continue response efforts and that the state Fire Marshal will lead the cause investigation. The next confirmed milestone is the reopening plan for lanes on Northwest 47th Avenue, with northbound lanes to open overnight while southbound lanes remain closed into Friday morning.
