An electrical problem below 1910 North A St. started the blaze, investigators say. No one was injured.
By BRADY DENNIS
Published June 15, 2004
TAMPA - A Monday afternoon fire spread quickly from one house to the next, destroying two South Tampa homes before firefighters could wrestle it under control.
No one was injured in the blaze at 1910 and 1912 North A St.
Officials said the fire started shortly after 3 p.m. at 1910 and apparently jumped to 1912 by way of a tree between the homes.
Firefighters knocked down the flames in about a half hour and had the fire under control within an hour. About two dozen units and more than 50 firefighters responded.
Investigators said the fire stemmed from an electrical problem underneath 1910, which sustained $70,000 in damage. The other house sustained $60,000 in damage. Both homes were considered a near-total loss, fire officials said.
Both houses were unoccupied when the fire started, officials said. A woman who lived in 1910 was in Alabama. Two people who were getting ready to move into 1912 were not at the home when the fire struck.
Thick smoke from the fire billowed into the sky and was visible for miles. Flames shot from the roof of one of the homes, and both were reduced to charred frames.
Firefighters emerged from the houses red-faced from the heat, their T-shirts soaked with sweat. Some of them poured bottles of water over their heads and covered themselves in wet towels.
Larry Lynn moved to 1908 North A Street on Friday. He said he was riding a bus along Kennedy Boulevard Monday afternoon when he saw the smoke and rushed home to check on his cat, Puck.
"My heart was in my throat," said Lynn, who sympathized with the neighbors he had yet to meet. "I feel awful for them."
Across the street, Marella Lee sat on her front porch, taking in the scene. She moved in three weeks ago, and her mother was visiting from New Orleans.
They saw the fire Monday afternoon, called 911 and watched helplessly while the homes burned.
"I've never seen anything like this," Lee said. "I was crying. I was just a mess. There was absolutely nothing I could do."
- Times staff writer Saundra Amrhein contributed to this report.
