tRAGIC FIRE IN AN EX-TENNIS HOME

THREE DIE IN FIRE AT EX-TENNIS PLAYER'S HOME

Firefighters have found three bodies in a burning mansion owned by former tennis star James Blake, who was renting out the Tampa Bay-area house and not there at the time, officials said Wednesday.

Associated Press reports that hours after the fire was reported about 6am, firefighters were still there putting out hot spots at the 7,600-square foot home located north of downtown Tampa. It could be days before detectives are able to sift through the charred debris, officials said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cristal Bermudez Nunez said detectives don’t yet know the identities of the victims.

Neighbors told detectives that Blake hasn’t lived in the house for a while and was renting it out, she said. Detectives haven’t talked with Blake, whose agent said he was certain Blake was not in Florida, but he wouldn’t say where he was.

“He’s not in Florida, I can tell you 100 percent that he’s not in Florida,” Carlos Fleming told The Associated Press.

Blake bought the home in the Avila subdivision in 2005 for $1.5m, according to Hillsborough County property records. It had five bedrooms and five bathrooms. Video of the fire showed it totally engulfed in flames.

In this August 28, 2013 file photo, James Blake reacts during a first round match against Ivo Karlovic