Blaze At Tampa Business Causes Fire Crews To Retreat, Sound 2nd Alarm

TAMPA, FL — A heavy blaze at a custom seat cover company forced Tampa firefighters to back off and call in reinforcements Wednesday night.

Just before 10 p.m., Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded to a structure fire at Ernie's Custom Seat Covers in the 1100 block of East Hillsborough Avenue. The first crews on the scene found heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the business.

Fire crews attempted to battle the flames from the inside of the building, but the size of the fire and deteriorating conditions prompted firefighters to evacuate the building. A second alarm was sounded and additional firefighters were called in. It took about 25 minutes to control the fire.

Investigators from the Tampa Fire Marshal's Office are attempting to determine the cause of the fire.