Resident charged with arson in St. Pete apartment fire

ST. PETERSBURG — A woman whose apartment was the source of a Sunday morning blaze that left 11 people homeless has been charged with arson.

Authorities say Paula J. Ayer, 47, intentionally set the fire in Unit 10 of the Yankee Apartments, 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, about 6:50 a.m.

The fire quickly spread to the complex's shared attic, forcing the evacuation of all 10 units.

It took firefighters about 15 minutes to bring the inferno under control, said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue deputy marshal Lt. Joel Granata. No one was injured.

Granata said the American Red Cross was assisting nine men and two women with relocation.