Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s home in an affluent South Florida neighborhood was destroyed by a massive blaze early Thursday when the residence was empty.
At the time of publication, the fire had been extinguished by the more than 20 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units dispatched to the COral Gables home after receiving a call at 4:36 a.m., the department confirmed in a release. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is being investigated.
Two structures on the 5,700-square-foot property — which the Miami Herald has described as having five bedrooms, a pool and tennis courts — were “fully involved” by the time the MDFR arrived.
The home of coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat in flames in Florida. (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)
They upgraded the call to a second-alarm fire, as they were in need of more support. Ultimately, MDFR “switched to a defensive attack” as the property sustained a “partial collapse.” They remained on scene after putting out the fire to check for hot spots.
“We found fire that was as tall as the trees,” said MDFR Battalion Chief Victoria Byrd, per the Herald.
The Heat, and Spoelstra, returned to Miami at 5 a.m. — shortly after the call to authorities — from Denver, where they’d lost to the Nuggets 122-112 Wednesday.