Massive blaze breaks out in Miami apartment building; suspect in custody

A person believed to have fired a gun and started a massive blaze at a Miami apartment complex —triggering a vast emergency response that saw residents rescued from their balconies and at least two firefighters hospitalized on Monday — is in police custody, officials said.

Police arrested Juan Francisco Figueroa, a 73-year-old resident of the complex, in connection with the fire and the shooting of Feder Biotte, an employee of the apartment management company, according to an affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. Figueroa faces charges of attempted felony murder and first-degree arson.

Two witnesses of the shooting named Figueroa's apartment number to police, according to the affidavit. Officers arrested him in a traffic stop that evening. It's unclear if Figueroa has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

In interviews with police, Figueroa said he "knew what he had done and expected to be in prison for the rest of his life," police wrote.

Authorities first received calls about the fire at Temple Court Apartments, a multi-story building just outside downtown Miami, at 8:15 a.m., Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said at a news conference. At the scene, officials found Biotte suffering from gunshot wounds inside the building.

Biotte was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, the mayor said.

As of Monday afternoon, 40 people had been rescued from the building, Suarez said. Half of those rescued will stay with family members, and the Red Cross was assisting the remaining displaced residents to find housing, he said.

Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said the fire was under control by the afternoon.

"We had to go defensive, which means we pulled everyone out at a certain point, and we fought from the exterior, because it was too dangerous for our firefighters to still be inside," he said at a news conference.

Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes said any connection between the shooting and the fire "would be pure speculation." The investigation is ongoing, he added.

In a Facebook post Monday afternoon, Atlantic Housing Management, which owns the apartment complex, confirmed an employee of the company was shot.

"We are grieved by all that has happened today, and our thoughts and prayers are with our team member and his family and residents of the Temple Court community," the post read.

Meanwhile, firefighters began attempts to quell the flames from inside the building, Suarez said, adding that many people managed to escape, including some residents who were rescued from their balconies. More than 40 fire department units were deployed to what Suarez said was the first three-alarm fire in Miami in 25 years.

Two firefighters were hospitalized due to heat exhaustion and both were in stable condition, the mayor said.

Suarez said he did not know how may people in total were evacuated. When asked if there were any casualties, he said it's "too early to tell," adding the fire department and police department would provide updates throughout the day.

Videos showed large plumes of smoke billowing skyward from the top floor as firefighters battled the flames from the outside, spraying large amounts of water onto the building.

Chiquita Thomas-Butler with the Miami Police Department said it was an "isolated" incident.

"It is still very active with everything but we don't want people to be alarmed and we are handling it to the best of our abilities," she said. Officials set up a unified command to streamline communications between the fire department, police department and other agencies.

Residents who escaped the building were at a staging area outside the complex before authorities began moving them to Jose Marti Park, where food and medicine were being provided, Suarez said.

"They seem in relatively good spirits given the fact that obviously they're in a situation that is incredibly difficult for them and for their families to witness," he said.

U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar said in a post on social media that her office was closely monitoring the fire.

"Very thankful for the firefighters at the City of Miami Fire Department who are working hard to put out the fire and rescue residents inside," Salazar said.

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Charles Ventura, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massive fire engulfs Miami apartment building: Suspect in custody