FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A fire at the $6.9 million home owned by Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was started by a child playing with a cigarette lighter in a bedroom, a fire official said Thursday.
"It was an accidental fire," Davie Fire Marshal Robert Taylor told The Associated Press.
Taylor did not provide the age of the child or the amount of damage caused by the fire. He said the investigation is now closed.
Hill was at Dolphins practice for the upcoming regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football" when the fire broke out. He left practice after learning about the fire.
The house is located in Southwest Ranches, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami, and was purchased by Hill in May 2022 shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs traded him to the Dolphins.
Large plumes of smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the house as firefighters doused it with water. A gaping hole was also visible in the roof.
The Dolphins star, who is battling an injury, was seen standing outside the home wearing a walking boot on his left leg.
Hill's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters gathered outside the house on Wednesday that some family members were home at the time of the fire.
"He and his family are safe," Rosenhaus said. "No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we're very grateful. We're very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home. Obviously, there'll be some smoke and water damage. It's very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope."
Hill has not yet commented on the matter. He currently leads the NFL with 1,717 receiving yards. He's the only player in NFL history to record at least 1,700 yards in multiple seasons.
A victory would clinch the AFC East Division for Miami for the first time since 2008.
Hill's teammates expressed their concern and support for him.
"You don't think that it's ever going to happen to you until it does," fullback Alec Ingold said. "It's something as a team, we've got to be able to come together and make sure that we can reach out to Tyreek and be human beings with him and make sure everything is squared away and we can do everything we possibly can to help our teammate."