ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg family is thankful for their lives after fire ripped through their Bayside Drive home Tuesday morning.
- Homeowner credited granddaughter with getting them out safely
- Home did not have a working smoke detector
- Need a smoke detector? Call 727-893-SAFE
- More Pinellas County stories
Homeowner Mary Frazier says she was lying in bed around 8:30 a.m. when she saw the flames.
“It lit up like somebody had put some dynamite," she said. "It’s so surreal, and there’s no way you can control it."
Frazier said her 29-year-old granddaughter, who is a veteran, got her out of the home safely, then went back inside to try and shut the door to the room engulfed by flames.
She suffered minor injuries and was treated at the hospital. Frazier was unharmed.
“Nothing is important but that my family is safe," said Frazier.
The home is damaged, but will likely be salvageable. An official with the St. Petersburg Fire Department said there were not any working smoke alarms inside the home.
St. Petersburg residents without working smoke alarms are encouraged to call the department at 727-893-SAFE and a firefighter will install one for free.
Although this family lost so much the week before Thanksgiving, they are thankful to have each other.
“I’ve learned we don’t need everything that we thought we needed," said Frazier.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.