A fire that began beneath the pavement erupted into flames along one of Miami Beach’s busiest commercial corridors Sunday evening, injuring three people and forcing the evacuation of a building at the corner of Collins Avenue and Lincoln Road.
According to Miami Beach Fire Rescue, the blaze started around 7:15 p.m. in a manhole near the intersection and spread to a Florida Power and Light electrical vault inside an adjacent building at 230 Lincoln Road, home to a Ross Dress for Less, a Five Below, and other businesses. Witnesses described flames shooting from the manhole and windows breaking as the fire took hold.
Three people were taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center with minor injuries. Firefighters evacuated the affected businesses while FPL cut power to the surrounding area so crews could work safely. Officials closed portions of Collins Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets, one of the area’s busiest routes, and police secured the evacuated building through the night.
By Monday morning, the manhole and the front of the building remained cordoned off with caution tape, though the Ross had reopened by 10 a.m. Other stores stayed closed as FPL crews continued working. Crews reported little apparent damage inside the businesses. The cause remains under investigation.
Underground electrical fires are a known hazard in dense urban areas of South Florida, where moisture, corrosion, and heavy electrical loads can compromise infrastructure buried beneath streets. Because these fires can travel underground before becoming visible, they pose particular risks to nearby buildings and to first responders.
The timing was notable. Lincoln Road has been drawing unusually heavy foot traffic during the World Cup, with the pedestrian corridor designated for cultural events tied to the tournament through mid July. Despite the disruption, no major impact on the wider area was reported.
For residents and visitors, the incident is a reminder of how much of the city’s infrastructure operates out of sight, and how quickly a problem below the surface can reach the street. Investigators are examining fire patterns within the manhole and vault, along with maintenance records and witness accounts, as they work to determine what sparked the blaze.
