Northpinellas: Pinellas digest

Smoke detectors may have saved the life of a Crystal Beach man whose home caught fire early Wednesday morning, said fire inspector Jim Fletcher of Palm Harbor Fire and Rescue. The owner of the home at 402 Indiana Ave. was awakened just before 4:30 a.m. by the smoke detectors, Fletcher said. The electrical fire got into a wall and spread to the carpet, but the owner, whose name was not released by the department, doused the flames before exiting the house, Fletcher said. The home sustained about $1,500 worth of damage, much of it due to smoke, he said.

Official: Pot on stove started blaze that killed dog

The house fire on E Canal Drive in Palm Harbor that claimed the life of a dog on Tuesday evening was caused by a pot left on a stove, said Fire Marshal Jim Olson of Palm Harbor Fire and Rescue. "It appears to have been accidental," Olson said. Neighbors said they saw the owner, Mike Gilbert, leave the house at 199 E Canal Drive shortly before they discovered the fire. The fire was confined to the kitchen, Olson said, and caused about $18,000 damage. There was smoke damage throughout the house, he said. Firefighters could not revive a Siberian husky named Sierra. A pit bull terrier was taken to Animal Emergency of Countryside, where it was breathing and conscious Tuesday night. For years, neighbors have complained about Gilbert's dogs getting loose, and he has been fined for public nuisances related to his dogs, according to Pinellas County Animal Services.

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