Fire damages S. Tampa stores

Firefighters put out the flames, but damage is estimated at $800,000.

By SARAH MISHKIN
Published June 28, 2007

TAMPA -- Shiraz Oriental Rug Gallery and the Pine Shop suffered almost $800,000 in damages after an electric closet caught fire Wednesday morning, according to Tampa Fire investigators.

Ala Falasiri, owner of the rug store at MacDill Avenue and Bay to Bay Boulevard, was on the phone at 11:45 a.m. when the line went dead, investigators said. Rug store employees immediately noticed smoke billowing out of the electric closet.

Investigators say an electrical short started the fire. The building's sprinklers contained the flames and firefighters needed only 20 minutes to fully extinguish the fire.

The closet was off a hall joining the rug gallery and the Pine Shop, a furniture store.

Ralph Martino, manager of the Pine Shop, said thick smoke filled the hall. The beige ceiling was stained nearly black above the closet and the still air in the hall smelled bitter nearly three hours after the flames were extinguished.

"You could not see 3 inches in front of your eyes," Martino said.

Water used to extinguish the blaze caused much of the damage. Workers vacuumed up the water that covered the hallway Wednesday afternoon and left the Pine Shop's inventory sitting in nearly half an inch of dirty water.

Jennifer Davidson said the water would cause the furniture to swell, and it was unclear whether all the furniture could be dried out and repaired.

Falasiri said he too was unsure how many of the damp rugs were salvageable.

Sarah Mishkin can be reached at smishkin@sptimes.com or (813) 225-3110.

[Last modified June 28, 2007, 01:27:48]