Trending Topics

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

Tampa firefighters faced smoke billowing from the 19th floor of a commercial building under construction and no working elevators

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.

©2025 Tampa Bay Times.
Visit tampabay.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Bill boosts prison firefighter wages from about $1 to the federal minimum, while the sheriffs’ association objects to costs and notes existing sentence credits
The grant for Flint funds sign-on and retention bonuses, performance incentives, and leadership and training programs to boost morale, readiness and public trust
A proposal would require four-person crews, though the department says coverage is adequate and meeting the standard could mean overtime
Massachusetts chiefs report 18–48-month waits and prices that have doubled since pre-pandemic, forcing stock or used buys and stretching budgets