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Roof of combined YMCA, middle school being built in St. Petersburg catches fire

No construction workers or firefighters were injured, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
An architect's rendering shows the outdoor recreation features planned for Pinellas County’s new YMCA partnership middle school, the former site of Riviera Middle School, in the 400 block of 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg. The $51 million school is designed for 600 students and also will accommodate programming by the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. In addition to classrooms, it will house an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor aquatic center, athletic fields, a performance space, child care and camp space, a fitness center and locker rooms. According to a news release from St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, firefighters responded Tuesday to a fire on the roof of the facility, which is under construction at 501 62nd Ave NE.
An architect's rendering shows the outdoor recreation features planned for Pinellas County’s new YMCA partnership middle school, the former site of Riviera Middle School, in the 400 block of 62nd Avenue N in St. Petersburg. The $51 million school is designed for 600 students and also will accommodate programming by the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. In addition to classrooms, it will house an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor aquatic center, athletic fields, a performance space, child care and camp space, a fitness center and locker rooms. According to a news release from St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, firefighters responded Tuesday to a fire on the roof of the facility, which is under construction at 501 62nd Ave NE. [ Pinellas County Schools ]
Published Jan. 11

Firefighters responded Tuesday to a fire on the roof of the under-construction YMCA partnership middle school, according to a news release from St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.

At about 12:45 p.m., fire crews responded to reports of black smoke at the construction site, 501 62nd Ave NE. The fire was isolated to a 50-square-foot area on the roof and extinguished by fire crews, the release said.

The construction project at the site of what was Riviera Middle School is a public-private partnership to build a middle school accommodating about 600 students with an adjacent 48,000-square-foot YMCA open to the public, according to plans approved in May 2022 by the St. Petersburg City Council. The plans called for a projected opening date in the fall of 2024.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said no construction workers or fire personnel were injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.