Miami (AFP) – Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra returned from the NBA team’s Wednesday night game in Denver to find his Florida home engulfed in a blaze that authorities said took eight hours to extinguish. The fire at the home in the exclusive Coral Gables neighborhood was reported at 4:36 a.m. on Thursday, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
“We found fire that was as tall as the trees,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Victoria Byrd said. No one was inside the house when the fire broke out, and no injuries or fatalities were reported. The Heat had completed a four-game road trip with a loss at Denver on Wednesday night. According to Flight Aware tracking data, the team’s charter flight landed at Miami International Airport about 35 minutes after firefighters responded to the blaze.
Video taken at the scene on Thursday morning showed Spoelstra — who last month was named head coach of the US national team through the 2028 Olympics — looking on as firefighters worked to extinguish flames engulfing the five-bedroom home. “On arrival, units found a fully engulfed house on fire, including a partial collapse on the roof,” Byrd said, adding that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Spoelstra, 55, was an assistant coach on the 2024 Paris Olympics championship squad. He was an assistant coach for the Heat team that won the 2006 NBA title and, as head coach, guided Miami to titles in 2012 and 2013.
The Heat are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in their next NBA game on Friday. The team said Spoelstra will coach the game. “We are grateful to learn that nobody was harmed in the fire at coach Spoelstra’s residence this morning,” the Heat said in a statement. “Our thoughts, prayers, and assistance are with Spo and his family during this time.”
© 2024 AFP
