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Legislator's St. Petersburg Home Burns, Dogs Hurt

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 5, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - A state lawmaker whose house burned down early Wednesday is returning with his wife and children from vacation in Virginia to assess the damage.

The fire broke out about 12:30 a.m. at Rep. Rick Kriseman's home, 6044 Third Ave. N., said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Rick Feinberg.

The family's two Labrador retrievers, one yellow and one black, suffered from smoke inhalation and burns. One had severe burns on its feet.

Kriseman, a Democrat serving his first term in the Legislature, had been visiting Colonial Williamsburg with his wife and two children.

Investigators were leaning toward an electrical malfunction of some kind as the cause of the fire and will work with an electrical engineer and insurance adjuster on a final determination.

County records show that the house is appraised at $380,300, not including contents.

"This is a sad day for Kriseman and his family," Kevin King, the lawmaker's legislative assistant, said Wednesday morning at the fire scene. "They are doing the best they can to put this into perspective and be thankful that no one is hurt and the dogs will soon be OK."

Firefighters stepped through a doorway of the burning house to bring the two dogs outside. The animals were given oxygen at the scene and taken to a veterinary clinic.

"I don't think they could find their way out," King said. The family adopted the animals from a rescue group.

A dog sitter and Kriseman's mother-in-law had been stopping by the house to check on the animals, King said. The Kriseman family had been on vacation about five days.

There were no indications of arson, Feinberg said, and the fire appeared to have started in the attic. Firefighters encountered flames in the attic running the length of the house.

Personnel from St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue, the St. Petersburg Police Department and the state fire marshal division were at the site throughout the night.

Kriseman, a lawyer, has represented District 53 in the House since 2006 after serving six years on the St. Petersburg City Council. He has been in the news recently for calling on Florida environmental officials to explain a series of delays in cleaning up groundwater pollution identified more than 13 years ago at a west St. Petersburg defense plant now owned by Raytheon Network Centric Systems.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or sthompson@tampatrib.com.

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