At least 10 residents were displaced after a fire broke out at a condominium complex in East Lake on Friday.
Just after 11 a.m., the East Lake Fire Department received a call regarding a structure fire at 1400 Tarpon Woods Boulevard.
Units from multiple agencies, including Palm Harbor Fire Rescue, Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue, Safety Harbor Fire Department, Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded.
“Crews that were on scene had to work diligently because of the level of heat, smoke and fire gases,” said Jason Gennaro, East Lake Fire Rescue fire chief. “Unfortunately, the upper-level units and the units below where the base of the fire was, have been displaced.”
At the scene, they found an attic fire with smoke and flames, which responders said was potentially due to a lightning strike in a multi-family structure, though the fire’s true origin is still undetermined.
Firefighters were able to subdue the flames, and no residents or responders were injured in the process.
Photos of the scene show smoke rising above the roofs of the multilevel buildings. Due to the water and fire damage, four of the six residential units were uninhabitable. At least 10 people were displaced, and residents were only allowed back in to gather their belongings.
One resident living in the bottom-level of the building, John Benedict, told 8 On Your Side he had water damage inside his condo, and he will now have to figure out where to go next, though he does not have set plans.
“I guess I’m going to figure that out very soon, maybe get a hotel room or whatever it takes,” Benedict said. “There’s no power, no water [and] everything’s shut off.
Though uncertain on housing plans, Benedict said he continues to remain grateful he is alive.
“It’s unimportant, really. In the big scheme of things, it can be replaced very easily,” he said. “I’m planning on staying for a long time. I’m not allowed to die. I told my daughter-in-law I got two (of) my kids that got to graduate college.”
Chief Gennaro said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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Source: wfla
