Tampa high rise evacuated due to flooding from 27th floor

WFLA Staff

Updated: Jul 16, 2021 / 06:57 PM CDT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 35-story high rise apartment building in downtown Tampa was evacuated Friday morning due to flooding.

A fire alarm went off inside the building, which is known as Element, around 3:30 a.m. after the water main broke on the 27th and 12th floors, and water gushed down to the floors below. The floors above were not affected.

The entire building, which includes 395 units, was evacuated.

“We gotta go to work. We can’t get upstairs to get our badges. My girlfriend is a nurse, so she needs her uniform, and she has to go to work. I have to go to work, and they can’t let us in,” one resident told NewsNation affiliate WFLA.

The Tampa Fire Rescue said a member of the building’s security team was trapped in an elevator that stopped working, but was safely removed by firefighters.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury at the scene, but no one else was hurt, officials said.

Inspectors with the fire marshal’s office are working with building management to assess the building before they take further action.

The building is expected to remain closed for several hours. Officials said management is working to find residents accommodations.

Northland, the company that owns The Element, told WFLA they were working with the fire marshal and “The safety and wellbeing of our residents are our top priorities.”