Lightning Ignited Catastrophe in Cobalt Apartments | Tampa News

A lightning strike fried the fire alarms at the Cobalt Apartments, giving flames a 25-minute head start—and now 167 people are displaced as the building’s water-damaged structure teeters on collapse. While modern apartments have lower fire death rates than single-family homes, residents and officials demand urgent code changes, citing Miami’s post-disaster reforms. Pasco County is investigating costly safety upgrades—even though lightning fires are rare—vowing to prioritize long-term safety over waiting for state action. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/cc44042b24487f1b