Miami Gardens Baptist Church Erupts In Flames

MIAMI GARDENS, FL — A Baptist church that had been undergoing roof work burst into flames Tuesday afternoon. The church is located in the 17000 block of NW 22 Avenue. No one was injured.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the fire erupted shortly before 2:30 p.m.

Subscribe to Aventura Patch's free email news alerts and newsletters

"The church was occupied at the time and the people inside immediately began evacuating the structure," the spokesperson explained. "When the first unit arrived, they saw smoke coming from the roof of the church."

The spokesperson said that the church’s roof appeared to have undergone work prior to the fire. Firefighters also found multiple layers of plywood on the roof.

"The firefighters had to break down the windows surrounding the roof as well the multiple layers of plywood in order to locate the fire," according to the spokesperson.

First responders could not immediately locate the source of the blaze.

"About two hours into the call, crews were able to locate the area where the main fire was located and began fire attack," the spokesperson explained. "The call was upgraded to a fourth alarm fire to request additional units to assist in putting the fire out.

It took more than 46 units to extinguish the blaze. "After four hours, the fire was placed under control, the spokesperson added late Tuesday night. "Units currently remain on scene to ventilate the structure and to monitor for any hot spots."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Watch as first responders battle the church fire:

Image and video courtesy Miami-Dade Fire Rescue