An investigation is underway after a fire broke out at an apartment in Tamarac that claimed the life of a woman early Tuesday morning, officials said.
The victim’s family is now identifying the woman who died as 29-year-old Keera Brabham.
“We had Christmas dinner yesterday, we spoke yesterday,” said Juliet Brabham, the victim's mother.
The family said Brabham had a 4-year-old child, was a business owner and was a happy, bubbly woman.
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“My daughter is gone,” Brabham said. “She did not deserve to die.”
Authorities said the house fire occurred around 3:30 a.m. along the 7900 block of South Colony Circle.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the victim’s sister Stephanie Gladman believes Brabham’s ex-boyfriend is behind the fire.
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“I think he is jealous and controlling, and when she broke up with him, he didn’t know how to handle it and couldn’t move on," Gladman said.
Cellphone video from a neighbor shows the billowing smoke as fire rescue crews worked to get the flames under control.
“I just heard the fire alarm and heard lots of screaming, people telling — telling everybody to get out and evacuate," said one woman who woke up just before 4 a.m. to find smoke creeping into her unit.
