Driver crashes into Countryside mall, starting fire
A fire at Westfield Countryside mall began early today when a man crashed his car into the Dillard’s store in a failed suicide attempt, officials said.
The mall is scheduled to open today, but Dillard’s will be closed due to fire, smoke and water damage in a storage room, officials said.
The driver, 64-year-old Ellis Henry Vaughn, was recovering at Tampa General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Clearwater police said.
Firefighters called to the mall discovered a large hole was in the east side of the store about 2 a.m., officials said. They found Vaughn’s 1998 Honda Accord inside.
After he was extricated from the car, Vaughn told police he drove into the mall at a high rate of speed. Police said he left a suicide note at his residence.
Sprinklers extinguished the fire almost immediately before firefighters worked nearly four hours to clear smoke from the store, officials said.
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