TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) crews responded to a hazardous material situation on South Covina Circle on Monday.
Neighbors said they were startled by a loud explosion around 7 a.m.
Watch full report from Rebecca Petit
“I was sitting in the house and I heard a huge bang and everything in the house rattled. The windows and everything. I went outside and I seen a mushroom cloud coming down from a couple houses,” said Tom Sisson.
TFR said the call was initially reported as a structure fire due to the large amount of smoke in the area.
Dan Jairam Singh lives next to the home that had smoke coming from its roof.
“I thought they were asleep and I was worried that they might inhale the smoke and something bad could happen to them. So I kept banging, banging. Then a few minutes after one of the guys that live there came out,” said Singh.
After arrival, crews determined it was actually a hazardous materials situation. After evaluating the scene, TFR determined the hazardous materials situation was due to a person inside the home who had mixed multiple caustic chemicals, which caused a reaction and led to a small explosion. Due to the explosion, TFR's Hazardous Materials team and the Tampa Police Department's Bomb Squad assisted in this incident.
The explosion caused damage to the roof of the single-story home, and nearby homes were evacuated out of an abundance of caution. Residents were able to safely return to their homes around 1 p.m.
“I’m glad nobody is hurt. That's the main thing. Makes you wonder what was going on, but the main thing is nobody’s hurt and that’s good,” Sisson said.
There were no reported injuries. According to TFR, two people requested medical evaluations out of precaution.
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