Crime & Safety
Victim Identified in Seminole House Fire
An elderly woman died in her home Feb. 8 after a fire caused by a lit cigarette, according to the sheriff's office.
An 84-year-old woman died Wednesday night after her pajamas caught fire while she was lighting a cigarette. No one else was injured in the house fire at 7008 Green Briar Drive in Seminole. The fire started just after 11 p.m. on Feb. 8, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Sonja Skemp was in the bedroom when the fire started. She called for help but her husband, Samuel Skemp was on other side of the house. The 86-year-old man walks with a cane and he could not come to help his wife in time, according to detectives.
Sonja Skemp was pronounced deceased at the scene. Samuel Skemp was not injured or transported to the hospital, according to the sheriff's office.
The Skemps were married for 62 years. They lived in their home on Green Briar Drive for more than 25 years.
Homicide and arson investigators found no sign of foul play or outside accelerant at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.