VIRGINIA GARDENS, Fla. — Two former Miami-Dade firefighters were arrested on Friday morning and booked into jail on charges of manslaughter and negligence related to the death of one of their sons during an unauthorized training exercise in June 2024.
Francisco Camero, 48, along with ex-Lieutenant Rafael Fernandez, 52, were arrested in connection to the tragic incident that took place on June 21 at a three-story building in Virginia Gardens. Francisco Camero’s son, Fabian Camero, a 28-year-old who worked at a private ambulance company, was critically injured during the live-fire training and later died at the hospital.
The training, which was part of a fellowship program, was intended to provide hands-on experience in fire rescue. The exercise was held at 6596 NW 36th St., near Miami International Airport, and included international firefighters. Camero invited his sons, Fabian and Lorenzo, to participate, authorities stated.
The building, which was acquired informally for the exercise, was never authorized by the property owner for live-fire drills. The arrest warrant revealed that Camero, Fernandez, and a third firefighter, Steven Colon, 50, who also resigned from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, conducted the training without formal approval. The owner of the building had only given a verbal agreement for general use, not for dangerous live-fire exercises.
The investigation is ongoing as the community and authorities work to understand the full extent of this tragic incident.
