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Lightning may have sparked condo fire in Temple Terrace

Posted at 7:15 AM, Jul 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-13 07:35:27-04

A condominium fire in Temple Terrace may have been sparked by lightning, officials said.

About 1 a.m. the owner of a condo unit at 7840 Pine Drive in Temple Terrace was awakened by the blaring sound of a smoke detector.

The unidentified woman grabbed her cats and left the unit, fire officials said.

Firefighters with the Temple Terrace Fire Department assisted by Tampa Fire Rescue responded within minutes to extinguish a fire that had ignited. The blaze was contained to the one unit, displacing the woman and her cats.

No injuries were reported.

Residents in the complex told authorities they lost power during a lightning storm about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Fire officials say it is possible lightning struck the building, and the fire simmered for several hours before flames broke out shortly before 1 a.m.

It was possibly the second residences in the Bay area struck by lightning Tuesday. A house on Magnolia Drive in Clearwater also was damaged after a lightning strike.