Another arson under investigation in Ybor

YBOR CITY - The fire that destroyed an East Tampa home this morning happened in the same area and time of day as 21 others. Now, Tampa Fire Rescue is saying this one is also suspicious.

"Got inside the house quickly, knocked the fire down and had the flames under control within 15 minutes," said Capt. Bill Wade.

The fire broke out around 4:30 Wednesday morning at a vacant home on N. 11th Street and 21st Avenue.

A nearby resident that formerly lived at the home says she spent 15 years in the house and tears up now seeing it nearly burnt to the ground.

"BBQ's here, celebrate Christmas—everything. And I fixed up the house. It was beautiful house," she said.

There have now been 21 fires in the East Tampa neighborhood over the last year. 19 have been ruled arson, and two were ruled suspicious.

"At this time, what connects this fire to all the others is basic geography," Wade said.

All but six of the homes were vacant and there were no reports of serious injuries. Fire officials say even though most of the homes were vacant at the time of the fire, each fire did pose a serious threat to the community.

"Some of these vacant homes are so close to occupied houses that if a house like this gets burning, the flames could very easily jump to a neighboring house," Wade said.

The home is now set to be condemned, like many of the others, while investigators try to determine if an arsonist is to blame.

In the meantime, neighbors are keeping a close watch on anyone or anything unusual in and around this community.

If you have seen anything suspicious, the Tampa Fire Department would like to hear from you. Follow this link to contact them: http://www.tampagov.net/appl_customer_service_center/form.asp?strServiceID=61