TAMPA, Fla. – Smoke was already visible in the distance as firefighters raced toward Cacciatore Road on Tuesday afternoon. It had been a grueling shift for the crews from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Many of them had just finished putting out a different house fire on Timberline Drive when the call came in for this one.
At 3:44 PM, the dispatch center started getting flooded with 911 calls. People reported heavy flames coming from a home at 6508 Cacciatore Road in the Citrus Park area.
The first engine to turn the corner confirmed it was a serious situation. They could see a column of smoke rising over the neighborhood while they were still driving, prompting them to declare a “working fire” immediately…