RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) said fireworks caused three fires in Hillsborough County, two in Riverview and one in the Palm River area.
WATCH: Fireworks cause 3 fires in Hillsborough County: HCFR
Fireworks cause 3 fires in Hillsborough County: HCFR
HCFR said they received multiple 911 calls reporting a residential structure fire on Mile Marsh Drive in Riverview at approximately 12:49 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Units arrived to find a fully engulfed two-story residence, with the fire threatening a neighboring house, per the report.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
Officials said the fire was brought under control in just under an hour, and residents were able to evacuate safely before the crews arrived.
According to HCFR, investigators determined fireworks were the cause of the fire, and the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced family.
“In the middle of the night, 1:00am, somebody knocked our window, go, get out of here. There’s a fire,” said next-door neighbor Lan Loc.
Tampa Bay 28 visited the scene on Mile Marsh Drive and met Loc, who described what she saw.
“I come out. I was like oh my god. It’s like all flaming,” said Loc. “I keep praying that it’s not going to go over to my house because it’s really, really flamed like crazy.”
Thursday morning, a smoky smell filled the air with charred remains left behind. Loc explained she had some damage too, while you could still spot ash on her cars.
“I never feel that experience that by your own eyes, fire like that hard, mine next door,” said Loc. “It was scary.”
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
Tampa Bay 28 asked Rob Herrin with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue about response times after hearing from neighbors.
“Before Mile Marsh, there was another structure fire, another working structure fire that pulled the units from the area that would respond to Mile Marsh in the first alarm,” said Herrin. “They were on another fire just a matter of a couple miles away from that one, so they were all dedicated to that, so when Mile Marsh came out, we’re now drawing from fire engines from a little bit more of a distance that aren’t in that first alarm.”
WFTS
Fire officials warned people need to be very deliberate about cooling fireworks off.
“We’ve seen, over the years that I’ve been doing this, a lot of fires related to fireworks, and most of them aren’t ones that just shoot randomly and catch a house on fire,” said Herrin. “It’s usually the folks that shot their fireworks off, wanted to be the good citizen they are, the good resident they are and get them out of the street, but they don’t cool them enough, and when they put them in their garage or whatever they’re putting them in, they’re too hot, and they start a fire.”
Through all of these fires, HCFR said no firefighters or people were hurt.
Share Your Story with Mary
Mary O’Connell has a primary focus on education-related stories for Tampa Bay 28. But she also keeps an eye on public health concerns and the always-changing car insurance market. Reach out to Mary to share any of your questions or concerns.
.
Hillsborough County woman nearly loses $10k to elaborate sheriff’s office phone scam
Sheri Amarillas was sitting in her car on a Tuesday morning, about to walk into an appointment after dropping her kids off at school, when she received a voicemail that would lead to an hour-and-a-half ordeal with sophisticated scammers.
Hillsborough County woman nearly loses $10k to elaborate sheriff’s office phone scam