TAMPA, Fla. — An apartment in Tampa caught on fire at 11:14 a.m. Monday after the building was struck by lightning the night before, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said in a news release.
Firefighters say they arrived at Grand Oasis Apartments after a person reported white smoke coming from their apartment.
The first fire rescue unit at the apartment complex reportedly saw smoke coming from the eaves of the three-story building and stretched a handline up the stairwell to the third floor.
A brief investigation shows that the fire was coming from the space above a hallway in the building and rescue crews extinguished the fire quickly, authorities say.
Lightning strike causes fire in Tampa apartment
Everyone inside the building evacuated safely after firefighters conducted primary and secondary searches on the side of the building that was affected, the news release said. There were no reported injuries to residents or first responders.
The Fire Investigations Unit with HCFR says the cause of the fire was a lightning strike that happened the night before the incident was reported.
The American Red Cross is assisting families that were affected by the fire, HCFR says.