Thus far, 2024 has not gotten off to the best start for the Miami Dolphins’ star wide receiver, Tyreek Hill. Hill, who currently leads the NFL in receiving yards, was at practice Wednesday afternoon when he learned that his mansion in the Miami suburb of Southwest Ranches was on fire. Hill reportedly immediately left practice, but the home was apparently still ablaze by the time the NFL star arrived.
In the days since the blaze, fire officials have confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental and due to a child playing with a cigarette lighter in one of the home’s seven bedrooms. Thankfully nobody was hurt in the fire, including pets and the child who unintentionally set the blaze.
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Officials have not identified the name or age of the child who set the fire.
Although local officials confirmed that members of Hill’s family were present at the time of the fire, they did not indicate if the child who accidentally set it was one of Hill’s children.
Hill, who is 29 and married Keeta Vaccaro in November 2023, reportedly has six children. He has three children, the oldest of whom is 8 years old, with his previous fiancé Crystal Espinal. In 2023, he faced two paternity lawsuits from two women who asserted they gave birth to his children in February and March, respectively, the Daily Mail reported. An additional woman has also claimed that Hill fathered her child, also born in 2023.
It is unclear which of his children were in the home at the time of the accident.
It took fire crews over an hour to contain the blaze.
According to fire officials, the fire was largely contained to one room of the house, though video did show that a large hole was burned through the roof of the mansion, according to CBS News Miami.
Hill purchased the home in 2022 for $6.9 million dollars. In a 2023 video, Hill took fans on a tour of the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom estate, which sprawls over 9,000 square feet. The property includes two guest houses, a full-sized basketball court, and a pool.
Tyreek missed two days of practice but was scheduled to play this weekend.
Teammates and coaches from the Dolphins organization expressed sympathy for Hill, with head coach Mike McDaniel saying in a press conference that “There was a feeling of violation. Your home is burning, then you go back and see it – there’s a loss there. Yes, thankfully there’s insurance but it’s not as easy as that,” ESPN reported.
“It’s a life adjustment, immediately. That’s your safe place, your home that he is now dealing with … It’s a major stressor for sure,” McDaniel continued. “Thankfully, Reek has the support of his family and his teammates. It’s not something that you wish upon anyone. It was definitely scary.”
Hill returned to practice on Friday and anticipated being on the field for the final game of the regular season against the Buffalo Bills.
Officials have not yet released an estimate of the total amount of damage from the blaze.
