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2 Tampa Officers Treated After Rescuing 2 From Fire

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2009

Updated: 01/23/2009 03:17 pm

Officer Kristopher Smith remembered startling a woman when he alerted her to a fire in her apartment building.

"I had a fire extinguisher I was banging on the door," he said today.

Smith and Tampa police Officer Mike Stout charged into the J.L. Young Apartments during the blaze about 5 p.m. Thursday, rescuing two tenants who were unable to escape on their own.

The woman who Smith startled used a walker, so he escorted her to safety.

Stout said he hoisted a man with a broken hip across his shoulders and "carried him out of there."

Police said that thanks to the officers' efforts, none of the tenants was hurt.

Tampa Fire Rescue said improperly discarded smoking materials caused a small fire in a kitchen trash can in a third-floor apartment. The tenant was not at home at the time. Officials estimated the damage at about $5,000.

Smith and Stout responded to the fire alarm at 8220 N. Florida Ave. to see smoke rolling out of the third floor. "You couldn't see the end of the hallway," Stout said.

Knowing that many tenants were elderly or disabled, the officers barged into each apartment on the floor, alerting some who hadn't heard the alarm and helping two to safety.

The officers were examined for injuries at Memorial Hospital afterward. Stout, an eight-year veteran, was cleared. Smith, a six-year veteran, said he suffered smoke inhalation and needs to follow up with a city doctor before he can return to duty.

"My throat's a little sore, and I feel like I have a cold," Smith said, but he didn't mind. "You feel pride being able to physically help others."

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