``I don't think I've ever had people call my home and tell me they're sorry,'' he said. ``I went to a party [Friday] night and almost every person there came up and said they're sorry.''

Ybor City holds emotional significance for people in Tampa, the mayor said. Although no buildings of historical value were lost, the fire destroyed a post office and an apartment complex under construction - the first major housing project in Ybor in decades - and one that promised to revitalize the community by bringing in new residents.

``It was just on the verge of nearing completion,'' he said, his voice pensive.

The forklift operator who accidentally started the fire said Saturday he is distraught. ``I am still not feeling well,'' Jose Chirino said after he was reached by phone.

Chirino moved to Tampa two years ago from Dallas, said his sister-in-law, Ana Bonilla of Tampa. And he had been working at the site for about six months.

``He's a good person,'' Bonilla said. ``I haven't talked to him, and I haven't spoken to my sister. They must be scared. I don't know.''

Chirino said he hadn't spoken to his supervisor but hoped to on Monday. He also is keeping his fingers crossed that the developers continue with the project.

``It was an accident,'' said Chirino, who is married and has three children. ``The authorities are right when they describe it that way.''

The mayor, government officials and the community are turning their attention to Camden Property Trust, the Houston development company behind the $32.8 million project.

Camden executives haven't announced officially whether they'll rebuild the complex. According to some city leaders who have spoken with Camden officials, the company still is committed to the project.

Chuck Simmons, Camden's director of security, said the company first has to assess the damage and see if metal structures and concrete foundations can still be used.

A decision should be made by early next week, Simmons said.

Simmons arrived in Tampa on Friday night from Houston. He stayed at the project site until 4 a.m., took a nap and a shower, and was back touring the rubble early Saturday morning.

``We have experienced fires in apartment units, and very small fires on construction sites - but those were not even 1 percent of this,'' Simmons said.

Company officials were excited about the apartment complex, because they understood the role housing would play in revitalizing Ybor City, Simmons said. The apartment complex, named The Park at Ybor City, was expected to open around the same time as Centro Ybor, an entertainment and retail center that incorporates the landmark Centro Espanol building on Seventh Avenue.

CAMDEN DEVELOPMENT, part of Camden Property Trust, is the general contractor for the apartment complex. The forklift operator who severed the power line that ignited the fire is believed to have worked for another company hired by Camden Development.

Fernando Noriega, the director of Tampa's business and community services department, said the city will do what it can to help Camden rebuild the project.

``We're going to do anything possible because, let me tell you, these people deserve it,'' he said. ``They really are true troopers. Their response has been tremendous.''

Camden purchased the land for the apartment complex in 1998 for $5 million, outbidding two other development companies. The site previously was owned by the city and by Hillsborough County Community College.

Construction started May 18, 1999 - exactly one year and one day before the fire. Camden was building the apartments for young professionals - specifically, to renters with disposable income who wanted to live in an urban environment. Rents were to start at $710 a month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.

Capt. Bill Wade, the Tampa Fire Rescue Department spokesman, said there was no criminal act that caused the fire. No city investigation is planned.

But others questioned whether the fire department was prepared for the fire. Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Randall Jordan said damage could have been minimized if his department had reliable equipment and more staff.

``God only knows the difference there would have been if we would have been out here in 30 seconds,'' said Jordan, who is based at Engine 4, the Ybor City fire station at 2100 11th Ave., about a block east of where the blaze began.

FIREFIGHTERS had left in their reserve engine at around 8:30 a.m. to go to the radio repair shop at Lake Avenue and 12th Street. If they hadn't had a malfunctioning radio, they would have been the first engine to respond and probably reached the scene in seconds, Jordan said Saturday morning.

Instead, Engine 6, at 311 S. 22nd St., was called and took about six minutes to arrive.

``It's a kick in the teeth,'' Jordan said. ``We told them that we would be out of service for anything but a fire. Little did we know that it was going to be the fire of the century.''

Jordan said Engine 4's fire truck broke down several months ago. The fire house received a reserve fire engine, but it needed repairs. Friday morning, they learned that the radio in the second reserve fire engine didn't work, so they took it to get it fixed.

``If the budget for fire were bigger, it could have had an impact on this scenario,'' Jordan said.

But at the time of the fire, it's impossible to predict where all fire engines are going to be, department spokesman Wade said. If Engine 4 weren't getting its radio fixed, it could have been responding to some other emergency.

MAYOR GRECO SAID Saturday that he has made it a priority to get better equipment for the city's safety agencies.

``Anything they think they needed, we have tried to get them,'' Greco said. ``When you see the kind of job those guys did [Friday] - boy, they're worth their weight in gold.''

Jordan doesn't point a finger at the fire chiefs or the mayor. He blames previous administrations for failing to properly budget the Tampa Fire Department. Now, under Greco, they are playing catch- up for the years the department was neglected, said Jordan, who has been a firefighter for 26 years.