Florida

Disco inferno: Fire at Florida club blamed on disco ball

Tampa Bay Times
Tampa Fire Rescue believes an errant attempt to hang a disco ball sparked a fire at the Ampitheatre, a popular venue at 1609 E. Seventh Ave. No one was injured in the fire, though one firefighter was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation. The fire filled Ybor City with heavy smoke.
Tampa Fire Rescue believes an errant attempt to hang a disco ball sparked a fire at the Ampitheatre, a popular venue at 1609 E. Seventh Ave. No one was injured in the fire, though one firefighter was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation. The fire filled Ybor City with heavy smoke. LUIS SANTANA Tampa Bay Times

An errant attempt to move a disco ball likely sparked the fire that broke out Wednesday night at a Ybor City club

The blaze at the Amphitheatre, a popular nightclub and concert venue, filled the Tampa neighborhood with heavy, black smoke as about 60 firefighters rushed to the scene. When fire units arrived, they saw flames shooting through the roof.

Tampa Fire Rescue officials believe that the fire started while a welder was trying to install a new bracket to relocate a disco ball. But the sparks ignited old fire retardant in the ceiling, the welder told firefighters.

The fire quickly spread. However, there were only three people in the building when the fire started. They all escaped safely, firefighters said, and the building was not open to the public at the time.

Go to tampabay.com for updates.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 6:12 AM with the headline "Disco inferno: Fire at Florida club blamed on disco ball."

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