Firefighters find flamethrowers, live ammunition at house fire in Northdale

TAMPA — Firefighters had more than flames to contend with at a house fire in the Northdale area on Monday.

Fire crews looking for people inside a burning home in the 16000 block of Norwood Drive had to turn around and flee after what appeared to be live ammunition burning in the flames started going off, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Eric Seidel.

"They got about halfway through when the flames got too strong and they were hearing the pops and crackles of ammunition, so they had to take a defensive posture," Seidel said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office later said in a tweet that flame throwers were found inside the house. The Sheriff's Office bomb squad checked the burned remains of the home on Tuesday " due to the numerous weapons, ammo and flame throwers found upon initial check," the tweet said.

Neighbors called to report the fire about 7:20 p.m. Crews had the fire under control in about an hour, working hard to make sure the flames didn't spread to neighboring homes, Seidel said. It's unclear if anyone was home at the time, but no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Tuesday.

Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.