MIAMI (AP) — Flanked by his three children, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra spoke publicly Friday for the first time since fire burned down his residence and expressed appreciation for what he described as “absolutely remarkable” support in the aftermath.
Spoelstra’s home was destroyed by a blaze that broke out sometime around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. His children, Santiago, Dante and Ruby were at their mother’s home at the time and nobody was injured in the blaze.
“Things in the house, those things can be replaced,” Spoelstra said before Miami’s game with the Charlotte Hornets. “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.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 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.”
Spoelstra was on an airplane when the fire started, flying home with the Heat from a Wednesday night game in Denver. The fire was called in around 4:36 a.m. Thursday, county records showed, and the Heat charter landed in Miami about 35 minutes later.
Multiple fire trucks were at the fully involved scene when Spoelstra arrived at his home. He was seen walking around the outside of the property in the pre-dawn hours, sometimes stopping and holding his head in apparent disbelief as flames shot into the darkness.
“I want to give a shoutout to the first responders, the police officers and the firemen. They were amazing,” Spoelstra said. “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.”
Spoelstra said the Heat family have all offered support, and that even some of the wives and girlfriends of players on the team are already busy trying to help the kids — who went to school as normal on Friday — with a surprise or two.
“Possibly some toys that were lost in the house,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve been amazing.”
Drone footage showed that much of the home was reduced to charred rubble. Some crews remained on the scene, monitoring hotspots, until early Thursday afternoon — about eight hours after the fire was called in.
“Ladder trucks were used to attack the fire from above,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a news release. “The intense heat and a partial roof collapse forced crews to take a defensive approach, fighting the fire from the outside to ensure firefighter safety. … The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Spoelstra, who has been with the Heat since 1995 and head coach since 2008, bought the five-bedroom home in December 2023. He had done extensive work to the property following the purchase.
He finalized a deal last month to serve as coach of the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“I just want to thank everybody for this overwhelming support,” Spoelstra said, with his sons on either side of him as he spoke and his daughter in his lap. “The South Florida community has just been absolutely remarkable. People reaching out, wanting to help. It’s obviously been something that’s uniquely challenging for our family, but Spoelstras are resilient.”