TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) crews hit the 800 block of East Baker Street just after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, met immediately by a wall of heavy smoke and flames tearing through a single-story house.
The fire was intense enough—and the threat to neighboring properties severe enough—that commanders quickly struck a second alarm to bring in additional resources.
The burning home was reportedly unstable even before the fire started. That structural danger forced crews to pull back and fight the flames from the outside in a defensive stance, prioritizing responder safety while trying to keep the blaze from jumping to the houses on either side…