Tampa Fire Rescue and hazardous materials crews responded to an chemical fire incident at Port Tampa Bay.

Updated on: Sep 19, 2026, 07:06:20 IST

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Update: The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 8:51 pm, after emergency responders brought the situation under control, according to an X post by Tampa Fire rescue.

Initial report: Tampa Fire Rescue and its Hazardous Materials (HazMat) team responded to a reported Sulphur plant fire at Port Tampa Bay, Florida on Friday. Officials have issued a shelter-in-place notification for nearby Harbor Island residents.

In an update posted on X, Tampa Fire Rescue said firefighters and HazMat personnel were “on scene, mitigating the incident.” As a precaution, officials urged Harbor Island residents to remain indoors while emergency crews assessed the situation.

One X user wrote that a sulfur plant was on fire. “Sulfur plant is on fire. It could probably put off poisonous gasses, winds flowing from the east. We'll push it out across. Davis and harbor island into the mainland,” the user wrote.

Residents received emergency Alert shelter-in-place alert

Users on X reported receiving an alert on their electronic devices about the shelter-in-place. Some users also reported seeing the alert on their television mid broadcast.

One user wrote, “Seen it in an alert watching jeopardy. Tampa fire rescue posted they were on scene 20 minutes ago. Only thing I can think of is an ammonia tanker?”

Another user shared a picture of their television screen that read, “HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WARNING. A civil authority has issued A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WARNING for the following counties or areas: Hillsborough, FL; at 7:44 PM on SEP 18, 2026. Effective until 8:44 PM. Message from IPAWSCAP. Hazmat at Port. Harbor Island: Shelter in place. Stay indoors. Update within 1 hour.”

Hydrogen sulfide released after fire at Gulf Sulphur facility

According to local media IONTB, crews were initially dispatched around Friday evening after heavy smoke was spotted near Port Tampa Bay.

Once firefighters evaluated the scene, they determined that a fire at the Gulf Sulphur facility had caused hydrogen sulfide to be released from a storage tank.

Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas known for its strong rotten egg odor and can irritate the eyes and respiratory system at elevated concentrations.

As a safety measure, officials closed Sparkman Channel to all marine traffic and issued a shelter-in-place notification for Harbor Island at 7:42 pm.

Tampa Fire Rescue said HazMat personnel would continue working at the facility until the incident was fully mitigated.

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