Arson suspected in apartment fire

PALM HARBOR - Fire tore through a condo building early Monday, leaving 12 apartments either severely damaged or totally destroyed.

Although no one was severely injured, arson investigators are looking into the cause of the 5 a.m. fire.

"My house is gone," said resident Suzanne Grover, whose apartment burned. "I'm just terrified. I just have no place to go."

Grover was one of the first residents to spot the pre-dawn fire.

"I grabbed my dog 'snoopy,' and ran out to my car and just started screaming 'fire!' to try to wake up my neighbors," she said.

Across the street, Julie Fodor peered out her window in horror.

"There were flames, 10 feet tall coming out of the roof," Fodor said. "At that point I knew the whole building was going to go."

Dozens of firefighters were dispatched to douse the flames. At one point, the response had elevated to four alarms.

The fire was quickly put out, but daylight revealed extensive damage and nothing more than a blackened frame of a building in the center section.

The Red Cross said it is assisting effected Harbor Club Downs residents with emergency housing, clothing, and food.

"There are a few that lost everything," said Red Cross Spokeswoman Janet McGuire. "It's very difficult for them right now, they are still in shock."

Some pets were killed in the fire.

The Palm Harbor Fire Department said the fire marshal had traced the origin of the fire to a exterior stairwell at the rear of the 16-unit building.

While arson investigators dug through the charred debris around the staircase, an arson dog from the Lealman Fire Department sniffed it for clues. The dog, named Quincy, sat several times, indicating he detected an accelerant.

Through a spokesperson, the Palm Harbor Fire Marshal said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Crime scene technicians collected evidence from the scene and placed it in metal cans, presumably for testing at a law enforcement lab.