Fire Displaces 3 River Chase Families

Yellow tape surrounds an apartment building in the River Chase Apartments on Temple Terrace Highway. Black ash replaces the yellow siding on a second-floor apartment.

A fire broke out at 6424 W. Riverchase Drive just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release from Mike Dunn, the City of Temple Terrace’s public information officer.

“The flames were unbelievable,” a resident was overheard saying Wednesday afternoon from a second-floor screened patio across the street.

No one was injured in the blaze, but three families were displaced, and the American Red Cross assisted in relocating those families, the release states.

Officials said they believe the fire started on a second-floor screened patio, according to the release. With aid from Tampa Fire Rescue, the was able to extinguish the blaze within 10 minutes, Temple Terrace Assistant Fire Chief Ian Kemp said in the release.

Two adjacent apartments also were damaged, Kemp said in the release. Damages to the apartment complex were estimated at $250,000.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Temple Terrace Fire Marshall, the release states.