Family's South St Petersburg home destroyed by arson

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The longer Yashica Clemmons stares at what's left of the house she's called home for two years, the tougher it is to hold back her grief.

"Everything is in there," she said, "pictures, everything."

It's all a total loss, and signs posted by fire officials around the home reveal the cause -- arson.  A malicious act that has left a single mother of four with nothing.

"Just the clothes on our backs and the shoes we had on our feet, that was it. Everything else was in there," Yashica said.

Yashica and her kids, ages three to thirteen, were at her mother's home when she got a call from a neighbor late Monday night. Latisha Gause was on the other end of the line, telling her friend her home was burning down. Fire officials say the fire was set around the front porch, and quickly moved through the home.

"It was extemely hot, and it was bright, very bright out here," said Gause.

Hours later, the family searched the home for anything that might have made it through. Yashica was able to pull her kids' birth certificates, her purse and wallet from the debris. Everything else, though, was destroyed, including toys, bikes, clothing and the cap and gown and college diploma Yashica earned this past Februrary.

"Everything that I went through to get that, my books, my school books, my kids' school books... all of that's gone now," Yashica said. "Everything we used to do as a family we can't do anymore."

For now, the family is staying with relatives, and The Red Cross is also assisting. If you have any information about who started the fire, you are asked to call St. Petersburg Police.