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Fire displaces seven apartments' occupants

The blaze, electrical in origin, may have smoldered long within a Castile Place building's walls before discovery. Damage tops $100,000.

By Times Staff Writer
Published December 23, 2005

TAMPA - About a dozen people were displaced from their homes Thursday night after a fire burned through their apartment walls, leaving them on the street as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

About a dozen units from Tampa Fire Rescue and Hillsborough Fire Rescue responded to the fire shortly before 8 p.m.

Smoke was pouring out of a two-story building at Brookside Apartments, 5007 Castile Place, but there was very little flame involved, said Capt. Bill Wade of Tampa Fire Rescue.

It appears the fire was electrical and could have smoldered between the walls of the apartments long before anyone noticed.

The fire was brought under control within about an hour, Wade said.

The American Red Cross went to the scene late Thursday to help find shelter for displaced occupants.

At least one child was living in the apartment complex, Wade said. The 8-year-old lost a Christmas tree and presents. A woman who went to see the damage broke down in tears, he said.

"It's tragic to see anything like this," Wade said, "but especially here at the holidays."

To get at the fire, firefighters had to tear through wallboard, damaging at least four of the seven apartments. The other three received water damage.

Because of the likely electrical origin of the fire and the fact that some units had water damage, power was shut off to the building.

Estimated damage exceeded $100,000, Wade said.

[Last modified December 23, 2005, 01:13:18]