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Fire Damages East Tampa Home

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2007

TAMPA: An East Tampa home suffered $50,000 damage in an accidental fire this morning, a fire rescue release shows.

Fire crews found no one inside the house at 1405 E. Louise Ave. after the fire was under control about 8:45 a.m. But they did find "a mess" inside the home, and it has been condemned, according to the release.

While an investigator tried to determine what caused the fire, Sheila Currey, 47, arrived on scene. Currey rents the property, which is owned by Rosanna Vega of Tampa.
Currey said she left about midnight Sunday, but it's unclear where she had been overnight, the release states.

"The reports of who lived in the house and their ages varied depending on who was answering the questions," the release states. "As best investigators could initially figure out, siblings ages 26, 18, 15, 14, 17 month and 1 month usually inhabit the house. Most of these persons if not all are off-spring of Currey."

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said the house hadn't had electricity in several months and that the plumbing was in such poor conditions that there were no handles on the faucets.
"To turn on the water at the spigots, you had to use a wrench," the release states. "The refrigerator was packed with food that had obviously been rotting for a long time."

An investigator with the Tampa Fire Marshals Office called the city's code enforcement staff.
The investigator also said it appears a candle burning in the bathroom caused the fire, the release shows.

The American Red Cross was trying to find shelter for the people who were displaced.

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