Coffee Pot Bayou home damaged in fire

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - St. Petersburg firefighters responded to a house fire on Sunday morning. Officials said the fire broke out at a home on Coffee Pot Boulevard NE around 6:30 a.m. Flames and smoke could be seen coming from the second floor when crews arrived.

"At  first we thought it was just a bonfire, but then it started growing," said visiting artist John Ciampa, a witness to the fire. 

"We didn't want the fire to spread or the flames to spread so we went and got the hose," Ciampa recounted. "The fire in the backyard was massive. You could feel the flames from 20 yards away." 

Deputy Fire Marshall Lieutenant Steve Lawrence says two adults and two children made it out of the home without injury. 

"My fire crews did get on scene. They had a wall of flames from the first floor to the second floor. When you look at the structure, when the investigator was able to get inside he could see where the second floor had collapsed on the first floor," Lt. Lawrence added. 

Lieutenant Lawrence commends the good Samaritans for helping when they could, but urges everyone to put safety above all. 

"Trying to protect your property is understandable. Trying to hose it down and keep it cool. You can do that for yourself.  Your garden hose doesn't put out a significant amount of water compared to the fire hose itself. We can deliver 125-150 gallons of water a minute compared to your garden hose which is going to get you maybe two or three gallons at a time," Lawrence explains. 

It's unclear what caused the fire, however the home is undergoing renovations.