30 rescued, man shot at Miami apartment fire

Firefighters rescued multiple people - including elderly residents - on Monday as a fire tore through a Miami apartment building where crews also discovered an employee had been shot.

The blaze broke out Monday about 8:15 am local time (13:15 pm BST) at Temple Court Apartments, located just outside the south Florida city's town centre, according to Miami Fire Rescue.

Flames were visible through a third-floor window when crews arrived and the blaze quickly moved through the 40-unit building, Miami Fire Rescue told BBC news.

Photos and video from the scene show dark smoke billowing from the beige building as crews hosed it down.

As crews responded to the fire, they found a man on the third floor who was shot

Fire crews rescued at least 30 people, including elderly residents who were in wheelchairs, according to BBC news partner CBS. One person was taken to the hospital.

Three firefighters were also hospitalised for heat exhaustion.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said responding crews also found a person who had been shot. It's unclear whether the shooting is related to the fire. Miami police told CBS the man was found on the third floor and is in critical condition at a local hospital.

The person is an employee at the complex, Temple Court management told local media. The causes of both the shooting and fire are unclear.

BBC News has contacted police and Temple Court's management for comment.

Crews are still fighting the fire as of Monday afternoon and the third floor of the building is starting to collapse, Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll told CBS. He said the apartment's wood construction fuelled the blaze and is preventing crews from quickly extinguishing it.

"It's a very stubborn fire," Carroll said.