Mitch Traphagen photos.
At first it didn’t look good for the kids at the Apollo Beach Racquet and Fitness Club’s summer camp. On the morning of June 10, firemen and a fire truck from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue were scheduled to visit the kids for a tour of the truck and for a quick cool down and fun in the water, thanks to a fire hose. But on that morning, a tanker truck filled with diesel fuel experienced a fire in its cab on I-75 near State Road 674, resulting in the southbound lanes of the freeway being shut down for hours and enormous traffic headaches throughout South Hillsborough.
But firemen, apparently, aren’t the types to easily let children down. Once the fire was out, HCFR Captain Kevin Tinker’s crew moved straight from the scene to the racquet club, arriving only a few minutes late for the waiting children.
The children toured the truck and spent time playing in what has to be one of the area’s biggest water hoses.
Apollo Beach Racquet and Fitness Club Manager Logan Sultenfuss told the kids that the firemen had been working hard to put out a dangerous fire just before arriving, and the result was not only a chorus of “Thank you!” but also applause from the children. There can be no question about it: Firefighters are tough and work hard.
“The kids may go home a bit dirty tonight,” Sultenfuss said as he watched them play in the growing pond of water and mud created from the fire hose. “But at least they’ll be good and tired.”
If the screams of joy and laughter were any indication, the children had the time of their lives.
The Apollo Beach Racquet and Fitness Club is at 6250 Richies Way, just off Apollo Beach Boulevard. The family-owned facility offers tennis and other racquet sports along with a fitness center, pool, sports and summer camps for children and the locally renowned and recently remodeled Apollo’s Bistro restaurant.
For information, visit www.abrfc.com.
HCFR Captain Kevin Tinker directs the dousing of children at the Apollo Beach Racquet and Fitness Center.
