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St. Petersburg firefighters, sprinkler system stop sixth-floor condo fire

 
Published March 8, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — A fire was extinguished on the sixth floor of the Beacon on Third condominium building on Thursday afternoon, according to St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.

Lt. Joel Granata said the fire was called in at 470 Third St. S at 3:29 p.m., and that the building's sprinklers were quickly activated.

When firefighters arrived on the sixth floor of the 10-story building, they saw smoke in the hallways and finished off the fire within minutes.

The fire was caused by a box left on a burner that had been inadvertently turned on, Granata said. The water damage was limited to the apartment where the sprinklers were activated.

"It was held in check by the sprinkler system until we got it under control," Granata said.

The building is 10 floors high, has 120 units and 200 residents. Firefighters said about 75 residents were evacuated but were soon allowed to return.