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Fire at tennis star James Blake's Florida home may have been set by victims

Four members of the family that rented James Blake's mansion near Tampa,Fla., were found dead after a potentially deliberate fire at tennis star's home.

By Frances Burns
James Blake at the 2012 U.S. Open held at the National Tennis Center. UPI Photo/Monika Graff
James Blake at the 2012 U.S. Open held at the National Tennis Center. UPI Photo/Monika Graff | License Photo

TAMPA, Fla., May 8 (UPI) -- The fire that gutted tennis star James Blake's Florida mansion, where four bodies were found, appears to have been deliberately set, investigators say.

Although it has not been confirmed, authorities believe the victims are Darrin and Kimberly Campbell and their two children, who rented the million dollar home in Avila, an upscale community near Tampa.

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Col. Donna Luscynski, the spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, suggested that at least two of the victims may not have been killed by the fire.

"On two of the victims, there is upper body trauma. We have confirmed that there were fireworks scattered throughout the house and the fire was deliberately set with an unknown accelerant," she said.

The fire was reported before 6 a.m. Wednesday after a neighbor heard an explosion.

Colin Campbell, the couple's son, was a high school baseball star. His coach, Brian Grifone, said he hoped to become a professional player.

The other victim is believed to be Megan Campbell, the couple's teenage daughter.

Blake hasn't lived in the mansion for at least two years. He retired from professional tennis after the U.S. Open in 2013.

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