Tampa House Fire Forces Kennedy Boulevard Closure Friday Morning

TAMPA, FL — A fire at a house on South Lincoln Avenue in Tampa Friday morning forced the closure of West Kennedy Boulevard so Tampa Fire Rescue crews could lay hose across the major city road to access a fire hydrant.

Just after 5 a.m., Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded to a call of a house fire in the 100 block of South Lincoln Avenue. The homeowner reported that the home's occupants made it safely out of the house but the fire was quickly gaining strength.

The first crews on the scene said about 50 percent of the single-story home was on fire with heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof.

Firefighters initially entered the home but were forced to flee when fire conditions rapidly deteriorated and the rear structural components of the home began to collapse.

Crews then battled flames from outside the home until the fire was under control about 45 minutes later.

Westbound and eastbound lanes of West Kennedy Boulevard were closed from Himes Avenue to Henderson Boulevard as crews laid hose from a fire hydrant across the lanes of travel.

The road was closed for nearly 2 1/2 hours as crews extinguished hot spots. All lanes were re-opened just after 7:30 a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Tampa Fire Marshal investigators.