Morning House Fire Investigated in St. Pete

A homeowner who left his house for a short time Tuesday morning received a panicked call from his neighbor: His home caught fire.

St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue responded at 10:37 a.m., Tuesday, May 21, to the home in the 1000 block of 64th Avenue South. The fire had started on the back porch but spread to the rest of the house and the attic.

Several 911 callers thought that a propane cylinder had exploded in the rear of the home causing the fire. Investigators found the 20-pound propane cylinders on the back porch of the home with fire damage to them. But none had exploded.

Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze and searched for possible occupants, finding none. They found four dogs in the back yard that were moved to a safer location.

The homeowner, Demetriel Oliver, 30, had just left the house 40 minutes prior to the fire, after mowing the lawn, when he received a call from a neighbor
that his house was on fire, authorities said.

No one was injured in the fire. It is still under investigation at this time.

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