Fla. firefighters climb 19 stories to reach fire in high-rise under construction

By Tony Marrero
Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. — A fire damaged a high-rise building under construction in the Midtown Tampa complex Thursday morning.

Crews responded about 6:40 a.m. to the Midtown East building at 1204 E. Himes Ave. and saw smoke billowing from the 19th floor, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

Workers at the building had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. Crews had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.

No injuries were reported. The Tampa Fire Marshal Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

The Midtown East building is on the east side of the Midtown complex located on the southeastern corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Interstate 275 . The complex features stores, a hotel, office buildings and several restaurants. Stores began to open at the complex in 2021.

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