In addition to the 18-year-old girl killed, a 35-year-old woman remains in critical condition at the hospital. Two minors were treated for smoke inhalation.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The cause of the fire that left an 18-year-old girl dead and three others hospitalized has been deemed suspicious, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Police are now investigating what led up to the fast-moving house fire that tore through a home on Neptune Drive SE early Sunday morning.
St. Pete Fire Rescue responded just after 3:30 a.m. to find heavy flames coming from the home. Four people were inside.
While crews were able to pull them out of the home, 18-year-old Angelina Anderson died from her injuries. A 35-year-old woman remains hospitalized in critical condition but is said to be stable. Two minors were treated for smoke inhalation and released.
Neighbor Rosalie Uber said she woke up to a loud noise moments before the flames spread.
“I heard a man screaming… and I heard a pop, pop, pop, and I knew something was wrong,” she said.
She immediately called 911. When she stepped outside, she said the entire sky was glowing.
“Oh my gosh, it was like everything was orange — like when something is on fire,” Uber said. Hours later, she told 10 Tampa Bay News she was still shaken. “I’m still shaking now… I’m probably four hours into this.”
By daylight, the home was left completely charred — only the shell of the structure still standing. A car in the carport was burned down to bare metal.
An arson dog was brought in, which Deputy Fire Chief Brett Ciskoski noted is standard procedure as investigators work to determine what sparked the blaze.