A neighbor who called 911 to report smelling smoke helped firefighters fight a house fire on Friday night.

  • No one was injured in the fire
  • Homeowner was away visiting family at time of fire

The Treasure Island Fire Department (TIFD) responded to a house on 230 125th Avenue in Treasure Island at 10:35 p.m. and found the neighbors who called 911 fighting the fire with a garden hose.

"Upon arrival of TIFD personnel, the rear of the home was engulfed in flames, and the neighbor was attempting to extinguish the fire with a garden hose," the fire department noted in a press release.

The firefighters were able to put the fire out and contain the damage to the rear porch on the ground level and the interior wall of the garage.

No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

The St. Pete Beach and Madeira Beach fire departments also helped to put the fire out.

Damage to the home was limited to the back porch, where there was a pile of firewood.

The homeowner, Weldon Bailey, said he's grateful to his neighbors who helped fight the fire with garden hoses prior to firefighters' arrival.

"I want to thank them for what they did," said Bailey. "It was incredible what they did."

Investigators are waiting for forensics tests to come back in order to determine who or what might have started the fire.

Anyone with information about what caused the fire is asked to call Treasure Island Police Department Detective Daniel Savarese at 727-547-4575, ext. 278