Person Found Dead In Carrollwood Apartment Fire

CARROLLWOOD, FL -- The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has yet to release the identity and cause of death of a man discovered when the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a two-alarm fire at an apartment complex.

Crews were called to St. James Crossing Apartments at 5536 Tranquility Oaks Drive off Gunny Highway at 8:22 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19. The man was found dead after firefighters put out the fire in one of the apartments. The medical examiner will determine whether the man died as a result of the fire.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Eric Seidel said fighting this fire proved problematic.

“There was no way to make entrance through the stairwell so our firefighters put ladders up against the balcony, ascended those, got through the apartments that were on fire, put those out and then broke through to the other apartments to make sure that there was no fire," he said.

Two apartments had extensive fire damage and several others had smoke and water damage.

The Red Cross was called to provide emergency housing for the residents who were displace.

Image via Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

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