Severe weather in South Florida left thousands without power and displaced families at a Miami duplex.
Thunderstorms swept across the region on Friday.
Lightning reportedly struck the two-story duplex in the 1500 block of 70th Street in Miami, causing it to go up in flames. Ten families were displaced.
Just before 3:30 p.m., Miami Fire Rescue was dispatched to the fire, with reports of two people trapped.
MFR arrived to find heavy smoke and flames showing from the second floor balcony. Within 20 minutes, firefighters had the fire under control and all residents safely evacuated.
According to neighbors, they witnessed a possible lightning strike to the house and moments later observed smoke coming from the roof.
Fire investigators were on the scene to determine the exact cause and the American Red Cross was assisting the families.
Local
#BREAKING 10 families displaced after lightning strike in Miami apartment building@nbc6 pic.twitter.com/pcPZnZuJci — Jamie Guirola (@jamieNBC6) July 31, 2015
Thousands of Broward and Miami-Dade residents also dealt with power outages during the severe weather.
More than 2,200 outages were reported in Broward and another 15,700 were reported in Miami-Dade.
In addition, Miami International Airport reported the storms were impacting arrivals and departures. Airport officials advised travelers to check with airlines for the most current information.
Inclement weather is affecting arrivals and departures. Please check with airlines for most current information. — Miami Int'l Airport (@iflymia) July 31, 2015
In Pembroke Pines, there were numerous reports of the strong winds causing trees to topple over.
Several strong gusts today including (in mph) Weston 59; #Miami 52; Virginia Grdns 51; Pembroke Pines 51; Deerfield Beach & Liberty City 48. — John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) July 31, 2015
For up-to-date weather information, stay with NBC 6 and check out our Interactive Weather Radar.
