Fire destroys two-story garage apartment in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG — A fire destroyed a two-story garage apartment early Friday.

Neighbors living near the apartment at 776 ½ 16th Ave. S reported smelling heavy smoke in the area since 5 a.m. They eventually went outside to see where the smoke was coming from, firefighters said, and they saw the garage engulfed in flames.

Fire crews arrived around 6:55 a.m. to find smoke rising from the roof, officials said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but said both apartments were destroyed.

It did not appear anyone had been living in the structure at the time of the fire, said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Joel Granata. No injuries were reported.

The structure itself suffered about $25,000 in damage, fire officials estimated.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the fire. An investigation was still under way Friday morning.