The Brief
Emergency crews were on scene at Port Tampa Bay Friday evening as firefighters worked to contain a possible hazardous material situation.
Officials issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order for Harbour Island residents while crews mitigated the hazard.
Responders detected a slight sulfur smell in nearby neighborhoods, though no active fires or toxic leaks were found.
TAMPA, Fla – Harbour Island residents were given a shelter-in-place order Friday evening as a hazmat incident unfolded at Port Tampa Bay.
Port Tampa Bay hazmat situation
What we know
Tampa Fire Rescue said crews responded to 1015 McCloskey Boulevard before 6:30 p.m. following reports of a possible sulfur tank on fire. It was initially reported as a structure fire because of heavy smoke coming from the area.
Crews said the incident involved hazardous materials being released from a tank due to a fire at Gulf Sulphur, which is located at Port Tampa Bay. The chemical was hydrogen sulfide, which officials said is a respiratory irritant with a pungent odor.
Crews said Sparkman Channel was closed to all traffic and all of Harbor Island was under a shelter-in-place order beginning at 7:42 p.m. out of an abundance of caution. Officials lifted the shelter-in-place order at 8:51 p.m.
Sparkman Channel remains closed to recreation vessels while firefighters remain on scene, according to TFR.
The original fire is under control, and firefighters said they will be on scene until it has been mitigated.
Harbour Island shelter in place
What we don’t know
Authorities have not confirmed what caused the original fire.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered from official updates provided by Tampa Fire Rescue regarding the emergency response and safety notifications.