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Worker suffers smoke inhalation during fire

The Thursday afternoon blaze at a Clearwater apartment complex was contained in one unit, which was unoccupied.

By JOSE CARDENAS
Published December 30, 2005

CLEARWATER - A maintenance worker was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in an Island Estates apartment where he was working Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

Clearwater Fire and Rescue received multiple calls around 2:20 p.m. from neighbors who noticed smoke coming out of a ground-level unit at the Island North Apartments in the 700 block of Island Way, Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Strong said.

"It was pretty good size flames coming out," said Kathleen Dillon, a resident in the complex.

The three-floor complex has 15 units, residents said.

Unit 102, where the fire started, was not occupied, Strong said. Residents said only a few people had to be evacuated because many were at work or out of state.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames but extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes, Strong said.

The building's concrete construction kept the fire contained within one unit, Strong said. "It's basically like a bunker," he said.

The maintenance worker was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital, Strong said.

Investigators were working Thursday evening to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 00:57:15]