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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s home was destroyed in a fire early Thursday morning, the cause of which is still to be determined.
Nobody was home when the house became engulfed in flames well before sunrise — Spoelstra was flying back to Miami from a game in Denver, and his children were at their mother’s house.
In his first comments since the blaze, prior to Miami’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Spoelstra thanked the “amazing” first responders.
“I want to give a shoutout to the first responders, the police officers and the firemen. They were amazing. They weren’t able to save our house, but obviously, we’ve seen things that could have spread to the rest of the neighborhood. They were very kind while they were trying to put out all the flames,” he said. “Things in the house, those things can be replaced. And if they can’t be replaced, what does it really matter? This is really what matters. Family, the closest ones, our dog also was safe, thank God. We’re just grateful. We’re grateful that everybody is safe and in a great place.”
Spoelstra said the Heat offered him a few days off if he needed to deal with personal matters, and he declined.
“The kids wanted to come to the game tonight,” Spoelstra said. “So, I figured if they want to come to the game, then I’d better work.”
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Spoelstra also thanked the “absolutely remarkable” South Florida community for their “overwhelming support.”
“People reaching out, wanting to help. It’s obviously been something that’s uniquely challenging for our family, but Spoelstras are resilient.”
The Heat scored a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter en route to their 126-108 victory. He said afterward that “in a perfect world, I’d rather go home” after the game.
Miami-Dade County fire officials said the blaze was reported around 4:36 a.m. Spoelstra arrived at the scene shortly after the plane landed. Cameras showed Spoelstra pulling up to the house and looking distraught, according to WSVN-TV in Miami.
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Firefighters were initially focused on the garage of the multimillion-dollar home before the flames started to spread across the property.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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