Approximately 100 guests are scrambling to find a new place to sleep after a fire swept through their hostel on Monday afternoon.
The guests were staying at the South Beach Rooms and Hostel located at 236 Ninth Street in Miami Beach when they had to quickly escape.
Mahty Gittens, one of the displaced guests, told 7News he has no place to go and hopes for a refund.
“I paid for a week in advance. There’s no plan for me. I just need to go to a homeless shelter,” he said.
Surveillance video captured flames shooting out of a window as everyone was ordered out.
Some guests said all of their belongings were trapped inside.
“Everything! My clothes, suitcase, backpack, everything,” said Caroline Franca.
Others said they were woken up to chaos outside.
“My roommate came in and was like, ‘There’s a fire,’” said John Sheppard.
“Next thing you know, the alarm was all over the place,” said another person.
“Everyone was running outside,” said a fifth person.
Hours after the fire was extinguished, some guests were allowed back in to gather their things.
Cellphone video captured damage inside one of the rooms from the fire fight.
7News cameras captured the hostel boarded up on Tuesday. Businesses on the first floor of the building were also closed as they await clearance from the city.
“One, two, three, four stores. They all have employees. They all need their jobs,” said a business owner.
Now, business owners, workers and hostel guests are living in limbo as they figure out their next steps.
“So I guess the only thing to do is to try to find the love and help of strangers,” said Gittens.
Some residents tell 7News the hostel management agreed to meet on Tuesday with them to offer refunds, but as of late Tuesday afternoon, there hasn’t been any confirmation that the meeting has taken place.
Hostel officials have not responded to 7News’ request for comment.
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