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Victim In Sunday Tampa Fire Identified

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TBO.com Staff

Published: March 23, 2009

Updated: 03/23/2009 02:51 pm

The woman who died in a fire Sunday morning in South Tampa has been identified as 48-year-old Katherine Alm, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

Alm died of smoke inhalation following the 1:15 a.m. blaze at 3826 S. Himes Ave., firefighters say.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. It does not appear suspicious, according to a Tampa Fire Rescue news release. The blaze caused about $200,000 damage.

During the fire, with flames at his back, Anthony Grace leaned out a second-story apartment window, a toddler slipping from his grip, and had little choice but to let the girl go and hope her uncle would catch her.

After 1-year-old Tiyana Samuel fell 10 feet into the arms of her uncle, Ryan Loflin, Grace picked up the girl's mother, Tiffany Loflin, 24, and dropped her into her brother's arms.

Pieces of the apartment's burning ceiling had begun falling on his shoulders when Grace, 20, jumped to the asphalt just as the first ambulance arrived at 3826 S. Himes Ave., where flames tore through two apartments above Potbellies Family Restaurant on Sunday morning.

Grace, the Loflins and two children who lived in one of the apartments survived.

Just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Grace awoke to the smell of something burning, the shouts of Ryan Loflin and the screams of the woman next door yelling Tiffany Loflin's name. A frantic five to six minutes followed that Grace said felt like only seconds.

He made frantic trips to the sink to put water on the fire to buy time for Ryan Loflin and his 2-year-old, Raelyn, to get past the flames and escape. Ryan Loflin, 24, suffered burns to the bottom of his feet from kicking open the front door with his bare feet and carrying his daughter outside.

The kicking caused pieces of burning ceiling to fall, blocking the way out of the apartment.

Grace retreated with the baby and Tiffany Loflin. After he opened windows, the smoke was a bit less thick. The window was the only way out and there wasn't much time to think, only to react.

Firefighters heard Alm screaming from her apartment when they arrived and fought through the flames to find her unconscious on the bathroom floor. She was treated at the scene for burns and severe smoke inhalation but died at Tampa General Hospital, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

The fire was under control in 30 minutes but the two apartments were heavily damaged. The restaurant sustained water damage, the fire department said.

Alm is the second person to die in a Tampa fire this year, the fire department said.

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

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