Tampa Bay briefs

By Times staff reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 5, 2002

Apartment building fire forces 30 from homes

TAMPA -- A fire destroyed eight apartments, damaged others and displaced 30 residents Thursday morning.

No one was hurt in the blaze at the 16-unit Commons Apartments at Yorkshire Court and Lambright Street. The fire began in an air conditioning unit and was accidental, said Ray Yeakley, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Fire Department.

A resident of the apartment complex heard an explosion and called 911 just before 11:30 a.m., Yeakley said, but he said officials are not sure whether the explosion was the cause or a result of the fire.

It took 60 firefighters about an hour and 15 minutes to extinguish the flames, Yeakley said.

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Body of woman found; homicide suspected

SEFFNER -- A woman was found dead Thursday morning in woods at U.S. 92 and Kingsway Road in Seffner. Deputies were investigating the case as a homicide.

Police did not release the woman's name Thursday night because her family had not been notified.

Officials initially thought that the woman, who was white and 45 to 50 years old, died of natural causes, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokesman Rod Reder.

However, an autopsy Thursday afternoon pointed to homicide, Reder said. He said the woman died of blunt trauma to the chest.

She was found without any identification, but police used fingerprints to identify her.

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