Major fire blazed in downtown Tampa, building partially collapsed - Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA — The morning after flames raged along Franklin Street, a sense of normalcy returned to most of the downtown businesses that had been evacuated the night before.

More than a dozen fire trucks raced to downtown Tampa Sunday night to contain a blaze that began at Szechuan House, at 508 N Franklin St.

The fire began at about 6 p.m. Sunday at the back of the restaurant, which was closed at the time, and caused the second floor of the building to collapse, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

A man inside the building when the fire began sustained minor injuries, said Tampa Fire spokesman Jason Penny. No other injuries were reported.

A thick column of smoke billowed into the air over N Franklin and E Twiggs streets. Nearby businesses include a CVS, Jimmy John’s and Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria. The block surrounding the restaurant was evacuated between Madison and Twiggs streets and between Franklin Street and Ashley Drive.

Tampa Fire Rescue responded to 508 Franklin Street Sunday for a fire that required a three alarm response. Firefighters contained the fire but were working to prevent it from spreading to nearby businesses. [LUIS SANTANA | Times]

Ally Kroll, manager of Kava Culture, said she saw the flames while driving in to work Sunday. Employees were evacuating the building and people were giving each other rides because their cars had been blocked off.

“It was really sad, but I’m glad no one was hurt,” she said. “Everyone was looking out for each other.”

Lizbeth Rodriguez, a server at Urban Cantina, said she was working yesterday evening when a police officer came by and told them the restaurant needed to be evacuated.

“It was really scary,” she said. “We didn’t know where the smoke was coming from.”

Amanda Benitez, a manager at Vale, said she got a call from a friend last night saying there was a fire on her block. “I was freaking out,” she said.

She went online and saw it was not her restaurant.

While the blaze was mostly contained as of 9 p.m. Sunday, firefighters continued working to make sure it was fully under control and checking for further fire damage, Penny said.

Firefighters initially thought an air conditioning unit on top of the building might have caught fire, but Penny said Sunday they no longer believed that to be the case.

As of Monday morning, William Mann with the Tampa Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire department was waiting to make contact with the owners to secure the building. If they don’t make contact soon, he said, the city will secure the building.

Frankie’s on Franklin and CVS remained closed as of Monday. Eddie and Sam’s N.Y. Pizza had signs indicating they would re-open Tuesday, though other businesses on the block had re-opened.

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Major fire blazed in downtown Tampa, building partially collapsed - Tampa Bay Times
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