Crime & Safety
Arson Detectives Investigate House Fire
Three family members escaped unharmed, but Pinellas County Sheriff's arson detectives are still determining the cause of a blaze that destroyed the garage and part of a home on Pennsylvania Avenue early Wednesday.

Detectives are investigating an early morning blaze that caused more than $100,000 in damages to a Pennsylvania Avenue home Wednesday, a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office news release reports.
The three people who were inside at the time of the blaze — Robert Hampton, 50, Barbara Hampton, 53, and Shelley Lynn Hampton, 18 — awoke and were able to escape without injuries, Pinellas County Sheriff's arson detectives report.
Detectives were called to the home just after midnight Wednesday and have determined that the fire began in a bunch of bags of old clothes that leaned against the home's wooden garage door.
Find out what's happening in Palm Harborfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The blaze destroyed the garage and a part of the home, detectives report.
The exact cause has not yet been determined.
Find out what's happening in Palm Harborfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.