Residents without home after fire destroys Tampa apartment building

TAMPA, Fla. – A number of tenants have seemingly lost anything after a fire destroyed an apartment building in Tampa. The stubborn blaze raged for a lot more than 8 hours Tuesday at the Kansas Avenue Apartments before firefighters were being ultimately able to place it out.

Residents are hoping they can go in at some stage and see what there is if anything at all to salvage, but proper now it can be too harmful. The developing is boarded up, so a lot of are compelled to get started in excess of with practically nothing.

“I was actually in big shock and continue to am a little bit and just a little bit disbelief that it came to that,” Lauren Copeland, a resident in the apartment creating, explained.

For the previous two years, Copeland has known as the Kansas Avenue Residences home. Tampa Fire Rescue ended up called to the intricate soon after various folks termed 911 to report smoke coming from the roof. 

Connected: Fire triggers significant injury to South Tampa condominium in close proximity to Bayshore Blvd

For almost 9 hrs, crews had two aerial hoses on comprehensive blast dowsing the fireplace with h2o from higher than until the final handful of hot spots have been set out all-around 10 p.m. Now, all which is left is a seriously harmed, boarded-up constructing residents are remaining advised will probable have to be demolished.

“I am it breaks my heart, genuinely. I’m very sad, but at the stop of the working day, I’m alive so are the other tenants, and you know, that is what we have to be so lucky about,” Copeland explained.

For now, she’s staying at her mom’s dwelling while she figures out her up coming ways. Amongst her belongings are treasured paintings by her grandmother which have been handed down in the family for generations.

She stated she and the other four displaced tenants are in contact and using it working day-by-working day serving to every single other by the tricky system of setting up more than.

“We will, you know, get alongside one another at some point. I believe now most people just demands a day to just, like, unwind for a second and just acquire a breath,” Copeland explained.

Copeland claimed the organization Outfast Administration who owns the making has not been easy to get a hold of. We arrived at out to see if they’re accomplishing just about anything to assist tenants, but FOX 13 has been explained to they usually are not offering any feedback to media.