Neighbor says he’s lucky to be alive as fire destroys house in Homestead

A Homestead man said he’s thankful to be alive after a house caught fire overnight in Homestead.

The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on East 13th Avenue.

“It looked like the Fourth of July. The whole street was lit up,” said Charles Turner, who was able to escape after his next-door neighbor’s house caught fire, then spread to his house.

Turner woke up to the sound of his dog barking followed by police orders to evacuate.

“I grabbed my dog, couldn’t find my cat, but she’s alive, she’s fine. We ran out of the home and took shelter in the car while they did what they had to do,” Turner said.

Firefighters were able to stop the flames from destroying Turner’s home, but his neighbors weren’t as lucky. Family members who didn’t want to talk on camera told Channel 11 the owners of the house where the fire started were away on vacation when they were alerted by an alarm system and called 911 from their cruise ship.

Turner said he’s thankful for that alert and for the hard work of first responders in the bitter cold.

“I’m happy they saved my home, I’m happy that the police officer came and knocked on my door and woke me up. I’m just thankful I’m alive and I thank the creator that I’m still here, and my animals are safe,” Turner said.

Crews began the process of boarding up windows after Turner’s neighbor’s house was marked as condemned. Borough officials told Channel 11 a later determination will be made if the house needs to be torn down.

A fire chief at the scene told Channel 11 the fire started in a front room. The cause is not suspicious.

The fire marshal is investigating.

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