“Fire as high as the trees”
US national coach’s house burned down
November 7, 2025 – 11:09 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Shock for Erik Spoelstra: The coach of the US national basketball team had to watch his house burn down.
After his Miami Heat’s away game at the Denver Nuggets, Erik Spoelstra returned to his Coral Gables neighborhood on Thursday night – his house was on fire. According to the Miami-Dade District Fire Department, the fire was reported at 4:36 a.m. local time. The emergency services fought the fire for eight hours.
“We found a fire that was as tall as the trees,” said incident commander Victoria Byrd. When the fire brigade arrived, the building was already completely on fire. Parts of the roof collapsed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There was no one in the house at the time of the fire and no one was injured.
The Miami Heat released a statement Thursday: “We are grateful that no one was injured in the fire at Coach Spoelstra’s home this morning. Our thoughts, prayers and support go out to ‘Spo’ and his family during this time.”
Despite the incident, Spoelstra should look after his team as planned against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday evening (local time).
The 55-year-old only returned with the team from Denver on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, footage showed Spoelstra following the firefighting efforts. It was only in October that he was named head coach of the US national team until the 2028 Olympic Games.