Fire destroys Safety Harbor warehouse

SAFETY HARBOR - Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a sporting goods warehouse overnight.

At one point it was completely engulfed, bringing down the roof and ripping down walls. Safety Harbor firefighters say the warehouse and everything inside was destroyed.

Jennifer Party watched from outside as the building burned.

"So I was like amazed, how high, how fast it started," Jennifer Party said. "Within half an hour it just went right above the trees and it's just gettin' worse."

The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. at the Matrix Limited Corporation which an online catalog company selling sporting goods. Several local agencies were called to help battle the fire. It took them hours as the flames spread quickly.

Daniel Hepburn worked at the warehouse.

"A lot of hard work put in and now it's gone. Everything destroyed," Hepburn said.

No one was inside the building when the fire broke out, but a firefighter did suffer a back injury.

Employees that arrived for work Monday morning say they had to catch their breath.

"It was just shocking. The black burnt walls falling down in the back," Carol Manes said.

Manes said about 50 people worked from the building, taking orders and shipping them out.

"I got laid off from my other job in September and found this job at Matrix in March and I liked it. I was the call center manager," she said.

The entire building was filled from top to bottom with cardboard boxes, sporting goods and athletic gear. Firefighters say it all just helped fuel the fire.

"We do what's called a surround and drowned. We protect all the buildings around that area and put massive amounts of water on it to extinguish it," SHFD Captain Joe said.

Crews are now left mopping up damaged debris as investigators take over. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

With losses conservatively estimated at $1.5-million, workers are hoping at the very least their jobs are salvageable. 

A message posted overnight on several of the company's sites notified customers of possible delays in order shipments because of the fire.