A tragic fire at a Dover grocery store has left one person dead and caused considerable damage to the business. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to calls at approximately 5 p.m. They found the Dover Mexican Market on Sydney Dover Road engulfed in flames. Despite efforts to quell the blaze, 24-year-old store employee Ramiro Isaac reportedly lost his life, Tampa Bay Times reported.
In a statement obtained by WTSP, Isaac's brother Felipe Mardoquero expressed the family's grief, having recently joined Isaac in the United States six weeks ago. Together with a cousin, they sought a better life, but are now faced with the somber task of repatriating Isaac's body to Guatemala. "Our family was very sad when they just heard the news," Mardoquero said. "He came here with lots of dreams. And now he's gone." In addition to the human loss, the blaze left crews monitoring hot spots into Monday and considering the implications for the store's future, 10Tampa Bay.
Store Manager Abdalkarim Hijaz, having left the store shortly before the fire broke out, learned of the tragedy from an employee. Reflecting on Isaac's character, Hijaz told WFLA, "He’s a nice guy. What can you do?" Besides the loss of life, the firefighting efforts faced challenges due to a lack of on-site water supply, necessitating the use of tankers to transport water to the scene. One firefighter was hospitalized for heat exhaustion but is now stable.
The loss extends beyond the employee's family to the community that frequented the Dover Mexican Market. While the medical examiner’s office continues to conduct an autopsy to confirm the cause, officials currently believe it to be a tragic accident. A definitive cause for the fire has not yet been announced, and no further injuries were reported apart from the hospitalized firefighter, as per WTSP's coverage. The investigation into the blaze is ongoing.
