Firefighters responded to the Authentix Suncoast apartment complex at 432 Coast Drive around 5:45 p.m. after residents reported a lightning strike, smoke in multiple apartments and activated fire alarms. Firefighters arrived to find smoke inside several apartments of a 24-unit building. An aggressive fire attack found fire burning between the first and second floors of two apartments, the agency said. The fire was quickly knocked down while firefighters evacuated the building’s remaining 20 units. It was brought under control within 45 minutes of the arrival of the first units. Twenty-one of the building’s 24 units were occupied at the time of the fire. A total of 34 residents were displaced overnight after power was disconnected throughout the building. Apartment management worked with residents to find temporary housing.
Key Points:
- Firefighters responded to the Authentix Suncoast apartment complex at 432 Coast Drive around 5:45 p.m. after residents reported a lightning strike, smoke in multiple apartments and activated fire alarms.
- An aggressive fire attack found fire burning between the first and second floors of two apartments, the agency said.
- Twenty-one of the building’s 24 units were occupied at the time of the fire.
- A total of 34 residents were displaced overnight after power was disconnected throughout the building.
