Another fire set at Waterman's Crossing apartments

Another fire was intentionally set at Waterman's Crossing apartments. It was the second in a week.

Tampa Fire Rescue came to the apartment complex shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday in response to light smoke from the leasing office. Apartment security had put out the blaze with a handheld fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived.

No one was injured.

"An investigator with the Tampa Fire Marshal's Office determined someone poured a flammable liquid through a mail slot at the leasing office and set the fire," a Tampa Fire Rescue news release states. "This arson fire caused minor damage with losses estimated to be about $1,000."

On Monday, a plume of smoke and fire came from a building at Waterman's Crossing.

Investigators say that fire was arson, started in a vacant apartment next to where another fire was intentionally set July 9. Tampa Fire Rescue officials are investigating whether the fires are related.

Monday's fire did an estimated $500,000 in damage, destroyed or did major damage to 18 units and displaced more than 50 residents, said Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters needed about 45 minutes to knock down the worst of the flames Monday at the complex at 4514 N. Rome Ave., just north of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Flames were showing through the roof of a three-story building, leaping 50 feet into the air, when the first of about 60 firefighters and 20 pieces of equipment responded to what became a three-alarm fire, Capt. Bill Wade said.

Monday's fire was in Building G, which has 36 apartments, 25 of which were occupied. Apartment managers and the American Red Cross worked to find housing for displaced residents; by Monday night, the Red Cross reported it had assisted 15 families.

Four units were a total loss; the rest had either smoke, fire and water damage.

A fire at the complex in September revealed numerous code violations, including many apartments without working smoke alarms and holes in firewalls between apartments. That fire was caused by a candle that was knocked over.

The complex, which is owned by Atlantic Housing Foundation, hired fire inspectors until repairs were made to work at night and alert residents if a fire broke out, a step also taken in 2007, when the complex faced similar problems.

There also was a fire in November caused by an electrical short that caused about $20,000 damage to a vacant unit.

The most recent fire marshal's inspection, on Dec. 30, found no fire code violations.

The fire in July, also ruled an arson, caused about $25,000 in damage. Previous code violations had been fixed and smoke alarms were working at the time, officials said.

City code enforcement officer Jack Ciucio said this week that none of the open code enforcement cases at Waterman's Crossing involves fire safety. There are some open complaints about issues such as leaks and toilets.