A fire broke out at Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s home early Thursday and social media footage showing the coach pacing outside as authorities worked to control the blaze has gone viral.
Newsweek reached out to Miami Heat and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue by email for comment outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Spoelstra has been Miami’s head coach for 17 seasons, making him the longest-tenured coach in the NBA today. Under his coaching, the Heat have won two NBA finals. He is to coach the U.S. basketball team at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
What To Know
The fire was reported at around 4.30 am local time on Wednesday night and more than 20 units responded to the fire, which did not spread to any other properties, according to authorities.
Video posted on social media showed Spoelstra pacing up and down around the property and holding his head as the fire fighters worked to contain the blaze. One such video posted by NBACentral on X was viewed more than 600,000 times and can be seen here.
There were no reports of injuries and Spoelstra was not at home when the fire started, according to officials. He was in Denver as the Heat were playing there, and his flight back to Miami landed at 5.11 a.m.
The Associated Press reported that drone footage taken after the fire was extinguished showed that the home had burnt to rubble.
Spoelstra bought the five-bedroom, six-bathroom house in December 2023 for $6.6 million, according to property records cited by The Guardian.
What People Are Saying
Miami-Dade battalion chief Victoria Byrd said in a statement: “Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded with over 20 units – including a hazardous materials response–to combat this fire.
“We found fire that was as tall as the trees. Our units came in and did an excellent job…due to the privacy wall and a lot of the tree cover, it was very difficult to access, with only one point of entry. The men and women from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue were able to extinguish this fire and do the best job they could.”
The Heat said in a statement: “We are grateful to learn that nobody was harmed in the fire at coach Spoelstra’s residence this morning. Our thoughts, prayers and assistance are with Spo and his family during this time.”
What Happens Next
The cause of the fire is unknown and the authorities are investigating it.
Miami Heat told The Associated Press Spoelstra plans to coach the team’s next game on Friday night, which is a home matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
