An fire caused by an overloaded power strip tore through two offices at Adams Middle School early Wednesday, officials said.
Firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire around 3 a.m. and extinguished it in a short time. No classrooms were damaged, and the school remained open today, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.
Officials said the fire started in the main office and also damaged a second office. The school is located at 10201 North Boulevard, north of Chamberlain High School.
Jim Crouch, who lives across the street and witnessed the fire, said the flames were extremely intense.
"I was about 60 feet away and I could feel the heat," Crouch said. "The flames were rolling out from the overhang of the building. I thought the whole building was going to go up."