50 firefighters control blaze at Port of Tampa

50 firefighters control blaze at Port of Tampa Firefighters in Tampa, aided by a 'pre-planning' program for responding to specific local facilities, were able to extinguish a fire this morning in a building house on the property of Amalie Oil at the Port of Tampa.
   Some 50 firefighters responded to fire at 1:04 a.m. at Amalie Oil's facilities at 1601 McCloskey Blvd., on the Hooker's Point peninsula just off the Sparkman Channel waterfront.
   Al Vittorino, Amalie Oil vice president of government affairs, told the Florida Caribbean Connection the fire was 'intense at the point but not large,' and that there were no injuries or problems related to hazardous materials. The fire was limited to a 'boiler house,' a small building where steam is created to heat oil. He said the fire was extinguished within an hour. Some 30 employees on the Amalie property when the fire started were evacuated for safety purposes.
   Capt. Bill Wade of Tampa Fire and Rescue told the local NBC affiliate station that firefighters were able to combat the blaze quickly and effectively because of a pre-planning program in which firefighters familiarize themselves with local properties. Wade said that firefighters knew the layout of the Amalie facilities before they arrived and were able to get to the right part of the property quickly to extinguish the blaze.