Officials in Miami said a fire that engulfed Dolphins star Tyreek Hill’s Broward County mansion and caused significant damage to the property was started by a child who was playing with a cigarette lighter.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the 29-year-old wide receiver was said to be at practice with the Dolphins when the fire started on Wednesday. Davie Fire Rescue Fire Marshal Robert Taylor on Thursday also told NBC 6 South Florida that the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental because of the minor playing with the lighter.
Hill’s family was at home when the fire started, but they managed to safely evacuate the property. Aerial coverage of the incident showed responding firefighters battling to put out the large fire emanating from the roof of the mansion.
Taylor said that though the fire did not spread beyond the attic and roof, the smoke damage in the mansion was extensive. In the wake of the fire, Hill left practice to join his loved ones. The 29-year-old and his family were later spotted outside the mansion as firefighters battled to put out the large fire. The fire was eventually brought under control after about 45 minutes, The Miami Times reported.
Drew Rosenhaus, who is Hill’s agent, also said the fire was restricted to just one room – though the water damage was major, NBC 6 South Florida reported. “He is going to be fine physically, mentally this is challenging,” Rosenhaus said.
Rosenhaus on Wednesday also told reporters that Hill as well as his family and pets were safe, The Associated Press reported. “He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said.
“No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home. Obviously, there’ll be some smoke and water damage. It’s very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope.”
Hill did not attend Dolphins practice on Thursday and has yet to speak on the incident. His teammates have, however, rallied around him. “You don’t think that it’s ever going to happen to you until it does,” fullback Alec Ingold said.
“It’s something as a team, we’ve got to be able to come together and make sure that we can reach out to Tyreek and be human beings with him and make sure everything is squared away and we can do everything we possibly can to help our teammate.”
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he was glad no one was harmed in the fire. “I think the main thing is his family is safe, his loved ones are good and he’s good as well,” he said.
“I know it’s a little cliche to say, but those things like that, you know, part of the house, some of those things can be replaceable but I’m just glad a lot of his family members are safe.”
Constructed in 2007, Hill’s sprawling 9,300-square-foot mansion features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and amenities including a home theater, a full-size basketball court, a huge swimming pool, and two guest houses. Hill bought the property for $6.9 million in 2022.
