Here’s why thick smoke wafted over Miami and Biscayne Bay Sunday morning

Sunday morning’s thick smoke over downtown Miami that was visible over Biscayne Bay from Miami Beach and Key Biscayne came from a fire at a historic Little Havana house that Miami Fire Rescue battled for three hours.

Shortly after Miami Fire Rescue answered the 8:30 a.m. call, “the second floor collapsed to the first floor,” Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said. “Firefighters had to pull out and take a defensive position to attack the fire.”

The home at 1016 SW 13th Ct., was built in 1918. by A.H. Ramsey, who supplied lumber for the building of many early Miami buildings. Known as “The Ramsey Residence” and “Little Havana House,” it was designated a historic Miami site in 2017 and bought for $307,200 in February 2018 by North Miami resident Sandra Di Cataldo’s company Seven Real Estate.

Carroll said the cause of the fire was under investigation. The house was abandoned and had been declared unsafe by the city already. Carroll said vagrants were seen leaving the house before firefighters arrived.

The 70 firefighters’ focus most of the morning was keeping the fire from getting to the neighboring two-story apartment building on one side and the single family home on the other.

No injuries were reported.