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Warehouse blaze damage estimated at $1.5 million

News Channel 8 photo by RUGENE MOORE

A fire destroyed a Safety Harbor warehouse belonging to Matrix Limited Corp., a sporting goods company. One firefighter was injured battling the fire.

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By MARK  DOUGLAS | News Channel 8
and STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 6, 2009

Updated: 07/06/2009 01:30 pm

SAFETY HARBOR - A warehouse fire Sunday night caused damage estimated at $1.5 million, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

The building had $500,000 worth of damage and the burned contents represent a $1 million loss, sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said.

Investigators Tuesday will continue trying to determine what caused the blaze at the 13,500-square-foot warehouse at 601 Packard Court. The building is owned by Matrix Group Limited Inc., a mail-order sporting goods catalog company that also designs apparel.

Among the items destroyed were cheerleading outfits, and baseball and volleyball uniforms, Pasha said. The fire destroyed the warehouse and all of its contents.

More than 30 units from Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Dunedin and Oldsmar responded to the fire about 11:30 p.m. It was brought under control in two hours, although it was smoldering past dawn, said Capt. Joe Hans of the Safety Harbor Fire Department.

One firefighter suffered a back injury and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance.

Firefighters had to punch holes in the exterior walls to get to the blaze.

Front-end loaders were used to remove the damaged goods to give investigators better access to the structure, Hans said.

Warehouse worker Daniel Heppen was among the first witnesses to the blaze. He said he saw smoke filling the warehouse, followed by flames shooting 50 feet in the air.

News Channel 8 photojournalist Rugene Moore and assignement editor Roscoe Glisson contributed to this report.

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