Man, 72, found dead in St. Petersburg house fire

ST. PETERSBURG — One man was founded dead inside a home that caught fire Monday, according to police.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire in the 5000 block of Fifth Avenue N at about 10:20 a.m., police said.

Inside, they found William Connolly, 72, dead.

Police said they did not believe the fire was suspicious. The investigation is in the preliminary stages, however.

Early in the afternoon, the house's blue awning was visibly burnt and front windows were broken.

Authorities shut down the westbound lanes of Fifth Avenue N weree closed between 49th Street N and 51st Street N while battling the fire. No other details about the incident were released.

Contact Langston Taylor at ltaylor@tampabay.com or 727-893-8659. Follow @langstonitaylor.