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Gulliver Schools baseball coach fired, alleged to have sent sexually explicit videos to team

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A former University of Miami baseball player has been fired as head coach at Gulliver Schools after an internal investigation involving a sexually explicit video that he sent to members of his team, the schools' top administrator said in a letter.

Head of Schools Frank Steel announced the departure of head baseball coach Javier Rodriguez in a letter to alumni Thursday.

Steel said school officials began investigating "after learning of a certain inappropriate electronic communication containing or linking to a brief, sexually explicit video that he sent to members of the varsity baseball team during the 2015 season."

"Families of those students affected are being contacted directly," Steel said.

Steel said that "such actions by any employee are not acceptable in our school community and will not be tolerated." He said the schools will seek "outside support to reaffirm all our employees' understanding of our policies and of best practices regarding appropriate communications."

It was not immediately known if Rodriguez faces criminal charges for his alleged actions, but in a statement to the media Steel said the school has referred the matter to law enforcement.

"We are cooperating fully, but as a matter of policy, cannot comment further on this situation," Steel said.

Pinecrest police spokeswoman Michelle Hammontree confirmed that the school recently notified the department about the allegations. She said the incident happened in mid-April.

"It's sad," Rodriguez told Local 10 News reporter Amy Viteri. "I loved Gulliver."

Rodriguez, 36, called the incident "humiliating" but said it was a simple mistake that led him to send the inappropriate text message to his players.

"I went to send it to my friends and I clicked the wrong group chat and then it went to the students," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he immediately apologized to the players and told them that it wasn't intended for them.

Some parents of Gulliver students supported the decision to fire Rodriguez.

"I wouldn't like any teacher emailing my daughter or sending anything racy," parent Helga Diaz told Local 10.

However, many of the players' parents who spoke to Local 10 said the incident is being mishandled.

"He wasn't sending pornography," parent Sarah Phillips said. "He made a mistake. He hit the wrong button."

Rodriguez graduated from Gulliver in 1998 and went on to have an All-American career with the Hurricanes. He was a fifth-round draft pick of the Anaheim Angels in 2002, ascending to the ranks of Triple-A in the minor leagues. Rodriguez returned to his alma mater in 2009 and led the Raiders to four consecutive regional finals.

Gulliver Schools has four campuses in Miami-Dade County.

Follow Amy Viteri on Twitter @TVAmyViteri

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Driver slashes man with box cutter in I-95 road-rage incident, FHP says

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A road-rage incident led to two men getting into a fight Thursday afternoon on northbound Interstate 95 in northeast Miami-Dade County.

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez said a verbal altercation broke out between the men while they were driving, leading to both men throwing objects at each other's vehicles.

Sanchez said one of the men then slammed his vehicle into the back of the other man's car, knocking it into an uninvolved vehicle. Sanchez said the men pulled over between Miami Gardens Drive and Ives Dairy Road and began fighting before one of the drivers pulled out a box cutter and slashed the other driver.

A federal agent who was driving by as the fight was happening pulled over and detained the man with the box cutter.

Sky 10 was above the scene about 4:30 p.m. as one man was placed into an ambulance and another was handcuffed and placed into the back of a police cruiser.

The man who was cut was taken to Aventura Hospital in stable condition. The other man was arrested and faces a charge of aggravated battery.

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Police: Woman breaks into house, does laundry in tub

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A Pennsylvania woman failed to make a clean getaway and was arrested after police say she broke into a neighbor's house and washed some clothes in the bathtub. Kelly Bancroft, 44, of Shenandoah, is charged with burglary and criminal trespass, according to the Pocono Record. The neighbor told police that she went into the bathroom around 4:30 p.m. Oct. 13 and discovered Bancroft, the Record reports. The neighbor said the bathtub had water, shampoo and clothing in it, the Record says. Bancroft locked the bathroom door after being asked by the resident how she had gotten into the apartment, police say. The resident left to get help, according to the Record, but when they returned, Bancroft was gone, leaving her laundry in the tub. Bancroft is due in court Oct. 22.

Florida woman picks sex over surrender in police standoff

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A man and woman have been arrested after officials say they prolonged a standoff with police in order to have sex.

Police say they responded Wednesday night to a Jacksonville mobile home in search of 34-year-old Ryan Patrick Bautista, who was wanted on several warrants. Bautista and 30-year-old Leanne Hunn were holed up in the mobile home, leading to a standoff.

Police say they tried to make contact with the people inside for about 45 minutes. At one point, Hunn told police over the phone that she would give up, but that she wanted to have sex with Bautista "one last time."

Bautista and Hunn were arrested after SWAT team negotiators arrived. Both were charged with resisting arrest and false imprisonment.

Florida Keys man accused of selling heroin to undercover detective

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A Florida Keys man accused of selling drugs to an undercover Monroe County Sheriff's Office detective was arrested Thursday.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin said Yeiniel Moreno, 20, twice sold heroin to an undercover operative, once in May and again in August.

Herrin said that Moreno agreed to meet the operative on both occasions, once on Summerland Key and once on Little Torch Key. She said money was exchanged during both meetings, and a cellphone was used to communicate about the transaction.

Moreno was booked into jail Thursday on two felony counts each of sale of heroin and use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.

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US Airways takes final flight

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US Airways, which started as a tiny airmail service 76 years ago, is retiring as part of a 2013 merger with American Airlines and the final flight will take off from Philadelphia on Friday.

It's a small part of a huge trend that's affecting how more than 660 million domestic air travelers fly every year.

Fourteen years ago, the United States had 10 major domestic airlines. Now, the competing major carriers have merged into four: American, Delta, Southwest and United.

Together, they control about 87% of the domestic market, MIT's International Center for Air Transportation said.

Is that a good thing for travelers looking for lower airfares?

"I don't think it's bad at all," said Brett Snyder of airline industry blog The Cranky Flier. "Fares have come down lately. You still see these guys fighting with each other. But is there as much competition as there was? No, of course not, because there are fewer carriers."

Snyder, who spent more than a decade working for United, USAir and America West, called it "rational competition" among "smarter airlines" that know how to make a profit. "I guess from the customers' standpoint, you could argue that it would be better to have 20 tiny airlines losing money and taking you places cheap. But that's not sustainable."

Folks who think airfares are too high may be interested to know that domestic air travel is 17% cheaper in inflation-adjusted dollars than it was more than 20 years ago, according to federal statistics. But we also have to pay extra on some carriers to check bags and get seat assignments, which used to be included in the price of a ticket.

Also notable is that the Justice Department is investigating "possible unlawful coordination" of seat availability by airlines, allegedly to prop up ticket prices.

What about services?

Travelers give mixed signals about airline service.

Sometimes, the feedback is good: A J.D. Power and Associates passenger survey of airlines in North America released in May showed a record high satisfaction ranking for in-flight services; boarding, deplaning and baggage; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservations.

But sometimes, the feedback is not so good: The number of passenger complaints to the Department of Transportation is up.

It really is a different world now, compared with the days before the federal government deregulated the airline industry in 1978.

Back then, authorities could set fares and choose routes. That made it hard for airlines to fill all the seats on every flight.

"In the old days, it seemed like there was always a seat next to you that was empty, and people took that for granted," said transportation expert Clifford Winston of the Brookings Institution Washington think tank. "Today, you laugh and say, 'wait a minute, what kind of rat ship were they running then?' "

Are we better off now? "In the long run, yes," Winston said.

'A golden time'

To get a taste for air travel before deregulation, meet Capt. William Compton.

In 1968, Compton began a decadeslong career flying for the iconic Trans World Airlines, aka TWA.

The passenger experience on TWA and other major airlines "was really, really good," he recalled. "Service was fantastic. People got on the airplane with a coat and tie. The seats were wider and longer. The food was better. It was a golden time."

A lot of airlines in the old days "weren't making any money, but they were producing a great product," Compton, now retired, said last week from his Florida home.

TWA was an airline that pretty much showed America how to travel by airplane. It was the innovator. In 1930, it launched one of the first scheduled coast-to-coast passenger airline flights. It was among the first airlines to fly four-engine planes with pressurized cabins that could soar high above bad weather. It basically invented in-flight dining, figuring out the best way to offer every passenger a fancy meal, served with cloth napkins, tablecloths, real silverware and china.

Some of us domestic air travelers have seen these things only on YouTube. For us, a three-course meal on a domestic flight amounts to a packet of King's Honey Roasted Peanuts, a Biscoff cookie and a tomato juice in a plastic cup.

In the '60s and '70s, "people wanted excellent service, so they had to pay more," Compton said. "Now, people don't want to pay more, they want to pay less, which makes sense." That prompts airlines to fill every seat to keep prices low.

TWA didn't fare well after deregulation. Wall Street billionaire Carl Icahn bought it, took it private and sold off valuable international routes. After multiple bankruptcies, TWA was purchased by American Airlines in 2001. By that time, Compton was CEO. He and Capt. Don Jacobs piloted TWA's final flight, a short hop in a 155-seat MD-80 from Kansas City to St. Louis.

"I remember we did a low pass across the runway, which was exciting," said Compton, now 68. "We actually made a nice touchdown landing and taxied to the gate, to be met by hundreds of employees.

"It was sad in some ways, but it was a lot of fun."

US Airways' legacy

On Friday, US Airways' final flight will soar into the sunset, ending its tenure with nearly 6,700 daily flights, more than 100,000 employees and about 8% of U.S. domestic passengers.

It also leaves in its wake a few names that might sound familiar. Until 1997, US Airways was called USAir. In the 1970s, it was Allegheny. But it all started in Pittsburgh as All-American Aviation, which flew single-engine planes delivering airmail in 1939.

"Looking back to when it was Allegheny, US Airways was the local service airline that could," Snyder said. "Its legacy was being able to break out of a pack of local service airlines to pull itself up by its bootstraps and build itself into something much larger."

Snyder, who cut his teeth in the business as an intern at USAir, admits a soft spot for US Airways. Nonetheless, he said, the airline's record during the 1980s was "somewhat checkered at best" after it acquired Pacific Southwest and Piedmont airlines.

In 2005, US Airways merged with America West, keeping the US Airways name. "Here's the reality: US Airways effectively died in 2005," Snyder said. "There's no question about it; America West took over. Despite the US Airways name sticking around, it just became a bigger America West."

Then, eight years later, US Airways' top management essentially took control of American Airlines during their merger.

What's on the radar?

As for the future, American says it plans to keep US Airways' big hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Are more megamergers coming? Will four be cut to three? Unlikely, says Winston. "Mergers are very risky propositions. They don't necessarily work well." Corporate cultures can clash. Merging complicated computer reservation and scheduling networks can be bumpy, at best. Just ask United Airlines, which was still struggling to smooth its operations five years after its megamerger with Continental Airlines, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Appropriately, US Airways' last run will be Flight 1939, the year it all began. The flight will depart Friday from Philadelphia, heading to Charlotte and then Phoenix and San Francisco. From there, it will take off again and fly east, ending its celebratory journey on Saturday back in Philly, in the state where its history began.

There's one more thing US Airways might be remembered for: a heroic emergency landing by Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles in January 2009.

After a bird strike during takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, they landed their crippled plane safely in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people aboard. That bit of US Airways history will be remembered as one of the most upbeat and heartwarming stories of 2009.

Now, that aircraft lives inside the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte. Letters stretching across its fuselage read: US Airways.

Not a bad legacy to leave behind. Not bad at all.

Pedestrian struck, killed in hit-and-run on Quail Roost Drive

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A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday morning in a hit-and-run crash in southwest Miami-Dade County.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a person was struck by a car and killed on Quail Roost Drive near Southwest 149th Avenue.

"I came out this morning and there was a body just laying on the road there," Carlos Rosaly, who lives in the area, told Local 10 News. "But (there were) no cars, nothing."

Troopers said the driver fled the scene.

Eastbound and westbound lanes were closed for hours while troopers investigated the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10

2 hurt in northwest Miami-Dade County halfway house fire

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Investigators said a northwest Miami-Dade County house fire that sent two men to hospitals was intentionally set.

The fire was reported about 2 a.m. in the 5000 block of Northwest 169th Street.

Firefighters had to break out windows and knock down a door to rescue two men from inside. They also rescued a cat from the burning home.

Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Scott Henderson, 45, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center with second-degree burns to 17 percent of his body. He was listed in stable condition.

Zabaleta said Elton Smith, 58, was taken to Mercy Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. He was also listed in stable condition.

Investigators said arson is to blame, but they are still trying to determine how the fire was ignited and who may have done it.

Neighbors told Local 10 News that the residence is a halfway house.

"There's about 13 of them living there, and there's always problems and they call the cops at least two or three times a week," one neighbor said.

He said the residents buy drugs in the middle of the night and smoke crack outside the home.

"It's a big problem," he said.

He said the fire is just another incident for the troubled home.

"I hate to say this, it does not sound politically correct, but I'm glad," he said. "I'm sorry they got hurt, but if they can't live there anymore, awesome."

The other residents of the home were being relocated.

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Sister says teen robbery suspect killed by police needed money to help family

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The sister of a 15-year-old boy who was fatally shot by Miami-Dade police after an armed robbery said her brother was likely trying to help out his struggling family when he was killed.

Miami-Dade police said Jorge Santiago robbed a Walgreens on the corner of Southwest 288th Street and Biscayne Drive early Thursday morning and then led officers on a brief chase. Police said officers opened fire after Santiago pointed a gun at them.

Santiago, who turned 15 years old on Oct. 4, was an eighth-grade student at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy.

Local 10 News crime specialist John Turchin spoke to the suspect's sister, Angelica Santiago.

"He wasn't going to hurt anybody," she said. "He just needed the money, that's all."

Angelica Santiago said he probably robbed the Walgreens to help the family.

"Probably for the house, for the bills that we can't afford right now to pay," she said.

Police said they found the gun and a backpack full of cash in Jorge Santiago's car.

His sister said nobody in the family had ever seen him with a gun, and she doesn't know where he got it.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

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On this day: October 17

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Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion, "Jailhouse Rock" premieres, the New York World's Fair comes to an end, OPEC begins its oil embargo, and a deadly earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay Area, all on this day.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz intends to remain DNC chair

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Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz says she intends to keep the job until President Obama leaves office, and she says she enjoyed being parodied on "Saturday Night Live."

South Florida man hopes to raise $260,000 for spinal cord research

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A South Florida man is hoping to raise $260,000 for spinal cord research with his arms and three wheels.

Alan Brown, 48, of Aventura, has been training on the streets of South Florida using a special $7,000 hand cycle.

"I'm doing it because about a year ago, someone had me get into one of these hand cycles and I felt free again," Brown said.

Brown who is a paraplegic has been training for six months and is up to 30 miles a ride. He will be joining 80 other hand cyclists Halloween weekend at the New York City Marathon.

This will be Brown's second time in the New York City Marathon. He completed the marathon 25 years ago.

"The biggest obstacle now is that I really don't have much movement in my hands," He said. "Getting up at 5 a.m. to get your workouts done before it gets to hot here in South Florida has been tough. But I'm ready to hit the streets of New York."

Brown has been confined to a wheelchair for the past 28 years after he was hit by a wave that damaged his C-5 and C-6. He works as a spokesperson for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

This latest journey comes with a mission he hoping to raise $10,000 a mile for spinal cord research.

"I have $190,000 in pledges already and people can go online and donate," Brown said. "My goal is to raise $260,000 to go to research for people to live a better life with spinal cord injury."

His hand cycle will be shipped Tuesday to the Big Apple. Alan will continue training in Central Park next week. His $7,000 hand cycle was donated by Challenge Athletes Foundation.

"Physically I have more energy than I have ever had I feel better about myself," said Brown.

To donate, click here.

Follow Jeff Weinsier on Twitter @jweinsier

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10

South Florida student, Gator grad creates new dog tag business

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A South Florida student and Gator grad has turned the dog tag business on its head -- or on its tail. The local entrepreneur built the business from scratch starting with a rescue dog, some sleepless nights and a simple idea to silence an annoying jingle.

Miami bank robber identified by authorities

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A man accused of robbing a Miami bank wearing a Halloween mask and causing a bomb scare Wednesday has been identified.

The robbery happened shortly after 3 p.m. at a Chase branch on Southwest Eighth Street.

According to the arrest report, Leonardo Garcia Remedio walked to the front of the bank with a black bag and placed a Halloween mask on his face before entering.

Remedio placed two packages on the floor and approached the teller window, pushing one person aside and demanding money from the teller, authorities said. Remedio said several times that he had a bomb.

The teller gave Remedio money, in which he demanded more or that the bomb was going to explode, according to the report. The teller gave him more money, and he walked out of the bank, taking off the mask.

One person followed Remedio and was able to jump on him, holding him down while police were called. Authorities said Remedio was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital due to a medical condition and will be charged after his release.

A bomb squad arrived and revealed that the two suspected devices were hoax bombs, authorities said.

No injuries were reported.

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Accused restaurant chef who fled to Guatemala arrested, Miami Beach police say

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A chef who fled to Guatemala to evade arrest in connection with a 2008 killing has been taken to the Miami Beach Police Department, the agency said.

On Sept. 8, 2008, officers were called to the 1100 block of Collins Court after receiving a 911 call from construction workers.

Police said the workers discovered the body of Khala Brown in the alley with multiple stab wounds.

An investigation eventually identified the suspect as Mynor ?Aroldo Garcia Medrano, a chef from a Lincoln Road restaurant, Miami Beach police said.

After making contact with the restaurant, detectives obtained the suspect's home address. By this time, Medrano, 31, had fled to Guatemala to evade arrest, police said.

The Miami Beach Police Department said it enlisted the help of the U.S. marshals and several international agencies between 2008 and 2013.

In 2013, Detective L. Estopinan enlisted the assistance of Interpol, who, within 30 days, found Medrano in Guatemala, where he was arrested, police said.

Medrano's extradition has since been approved by both countries. Police said on Friday, Miami Beach police officers assigned to the U.S. Marshalls Task Force flew to Guatemala and returned with Medrano to Miami.

Medrano was taken to the Miami Beach Police Department. He will be charged with second-degree murder, police said.

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Miami Beach metered parking prices increase to $4 per hour

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Anyone who wants to park in Miami Beach will now have to pay almost four times the amount to do so.

As of Monday, the price to park in a metered spot increased from $1.75 per hour to $4. Drivers are now paying $2 to park at surface lots.

Parking garages remain $1 per hour, but a city representative said that rate will eventually increase to $2.

A city representative said the idea for the price increase is to encourage parking in garages and lots and to ease traffic from drivers circling to find street spaces.

"There's a lot of people that just can't afford to pay that kind of money, and they still want to come to the beach, and they still want to enjoy it," South Beach resident Rick Manley said. "So I don't think that's a very good alternative."

SURVEY: Would you pay $4 per hour to park in a metered space in South Beach?

A city representative said the price increase for parking is the first since 2011. The hope is that the additional revenue will increase public transportation options.

"Perhaps revenues would actually go down, because people who would park here for a buck or two bucks, now when it's four bucks, they're not going to park there anymore," Manley said.

A city representative said the price increase was approved by commissioners in September.

Follow Amy Viteri on Twitter @TVAmyViteri

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SWAT team nabs suspect in neighbor's home-invasion robbery

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Local 10 News is there as a SWAT team storms the Hollywood home of Michael Dieppa, accused of plotting a home-invasion robbery next door.

Teen riding bicycle struck by hit-and-run driver in NW Miami-Dade

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A 14-year-old boy riding his bike was struck by a hit-and-run driver, and police say the boy was targeted by the person behind the wheel.

Man, woman found dead of apparent gunshot wounds inside Tavernier home

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Three children ran to a neighbor's house for help after finding a man and woman dead inside their Florida Keys home Friday.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said deputies are investigating the deaths on Cuba Road in the Harris Park subdivision of Tavernier, just off mile marker 92.5 on U.S. Highway 1.

Herrin said the couple were found dead inside the house, but the circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation.

"We have a female and a male from an apparent gunshot wound that's deceased inside," Maj. Chad Scibilia told Local 10 News.

Neighbors said they heard gunshots the night before, but no one thought anything of it.

Travis Kvadus told Local 10 News the children, ages 8 and younger, told him their mother was dead. Kvadus walked to the home and found the bodies.

Kvadus said the three children tried to wake up their mother.

"They were great people, you know," Kvadus said. "He was very driven."

Kvadus said the woman lived in the home with her boyfriend for years.

Neighbors said the kids' grandparents came to the scene. Deputies took them all to meet with the Department of Children and Families.

Deputies were following leads late Friday night. It's unclear if the incident was domestic.

Follow Andrew Perez on Twitter @PerezLocal10

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6 displaced after Fort Lauderdale duplex catches fire

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A family was forced out of their home after a duplex caught fire early Saturday morning in Fort Lauderdale.

The fire started at 747 NW 14th Way sometime between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

A grandmother, her son, her son's girlfriend and the girlfriend's three children, ages 4, 8 and 9, were displaced by the fire.

The family said a wrong burner on the stove was turned on and left burning near a pot, sparking the fire. The grandmother said she didn't have a fire extinguisher and ran to a neighbor's house for help.

No one was injured.

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10

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