‘Intense blaze’ engulfs St. Pete home, starts tree on fire

A house fire in St. Petersburg’s Coquina Key neighborhood on Friday evening left the structure unlivable, melted the siding to a neighbor’s house and caught a large tree ablaze, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue officials.

People inside the home were able to get out and no injuries were reported.

Fire crews were summoned to the home in the 4300 block of of Menhaden Drive SE at about 5 p.m. They encountered an “intense blaze” and “towering flames” coming from an attached carport, according to a fire rescue news release.

Flames shot as high as 30 feet and extended into the backyard, where the tree caught fire.

Flames were confined to the carport and a single room, but smoke damaged other areas of the home, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.