ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete Fire Rescue is investigating the cause of a house fire Wednesday that left one person injured.

Neighbors called 911 around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after seeing flames at a home in the 5000 block of 22nd St. North. 

What You Need To Know

  • The fire broke at at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Petersburg

  • The resident found trapped inside his home

  • He was taken to Tampa General Hospital with critical injuries

Crews said the fire broke out in a garage-like structure in the backyard of the property. It took over an hour to get the fire under control, officials said.

“When I opened my door, I saw flames way, way up there. I didn’t know what to think,” said neighbor Doreen Surprenant. “And I just hoped and prayed that nobody was even in there.”

After calling her neighbor’s father to see where he was, she alerted firefighters that someone was in the home.

“I called Jonathan’s father to see if he was with his father because his father lives in North Florida, and his father said no,” she said. “So immediately I went to one of the firemen and told him someone was in there. And then about that time, that’s when Jonathan started screaming ‘help, help.’”

Firefighters found the resident trapped in a room. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition, officials said.

“I don’t know what type of room,” said Fire Department spokesman Lt. Garth Swingle. “I just know that when he was found, he was found in a contained room so he wasn’t affected by the fire, but he was by the heat and smoke around.”

Meanwhile, Surprenant is hoping for the best for her neighbor.

“I know he’s at Tampa General in their burn unit,” she said. “But I’m still concerned about him.”