Blaze Rips Through Petra Restaurant

An early morning fire at on Busch Boulevard has caused more than $90,000 in damage, Tampa Fire Rescue officials say.

The blaze was reported at the 4812 E. Busch Blvd. restaurant at 12:37 a.m. today, Feb. 3. According to a fire rescue media release, it took firefighters 3 minutes to arrive on scene. When they got there, they saw heavy smoke billowing out of the two-story strip mall.

Additional units were called in to assist with battling the fire. The restaurant’s back door had to be forced open to enable rescue workers to locate the source of the fire. A total of 35 firefighters worked for more than 40 minutes to get the fire under control.

The fire was deemed accidental by fire investigator Joe Hotz with the fire marshal’s office.

No injuries were reported.