RUSKIN, Fla. — A massive fire at a business in Ruskin shut down US 41 and injured one person Tuesday.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue says they battled the flames at a furniture store near US 41 for about an hour and a half until they were able to get them under control.
They say the business, Wild Bill's Furniture, was destroyed.
An emotional crowd gathered alongside US 41, watching as crews worked.
One of the people who gathered to watch the firefighters work, Ronald Reiser, says he used to live next door to the furniture store and knows the owners.
“It’s like losing a piece of Ruskin. That place has been there since the 1930s!” he said.
Marco Cepeda works at a nearby barbershop. He says he and the other barbers saw smoke and went outside to see what was going on.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. The flames were like 500 feet high. There was a couple explosions in the building,” he said.
Cepeda says he and the other barbers rushed in to help.
“We didn’t think, we acted. We went next door and tried to make sure everyone was out safely,” Cepeda told 10News.
A fire department representative says one person was injured, but their injuries were not “life-threatening.”
Around 6:30 p.m., crews were able to get the fire under control, but people who live here say a staple in the community is gone. Fire department representatives tell 10News the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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