Residents escape Oldsmar fire
OLDSMAR — An Oldsmar couple escaped their burning home early Sunday morning after they were alerted to the blaze when their smoke alarm went off.
Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office were on routine patrol at 4 a.m. when they noticed smoke coming from the home at 508 E. Buckingham Ave., sheriff’s office officials said.
Residents Lee King, 61, and Julie King, 53, had already escaped the home by way of a spiral staircase at the back of the residence when deputies arrived. All other exits were blocked by smoke or flames, deputies said.
No one was injured in the pre-dawn blaze. Arson detectives with the sheriff’s office are investigating but said the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.
Three vehicles in the King’s garage were also destroyed in the fire. All total, damages are estimated to be about $500,000.
Also on Sunday, a Clearwater home suffered about $20,000 in damages after a house fire that displaced four people.
It took about 20 minutes for Clearwater Fire Rescue crews to bring the blaze under control at the duplex at 2029 Douglas Ave., said Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts. Firefighters got the call at 2:41 p.m., after homeowner Galen Hauk, 72, arrived and saw smoke and flames coming from the residence.
Investigators determined the accidental fire, which started in a first-floor bedroom, was electrical in nature.
– Rita Farlow, Times staff writer