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ST. PETERSBURG — Police are assisting in an investigation of a Saturday morning fire at the Uhuru House that set a flag and nearby palm trees ablaze.
St. Petersburg Police responded to the fire at 1291 18th Ave. S around 10:15 a.m., according to a department news release.
No one was injured and no other damage occurred.
Detectives are working to identify a suspect, the release stated.
Later Thursday, an Uhuru-related media organization, Burning Spear, released video related to the incident, according to the Associated Press.
The video shows a person using a flamethrower to set fire to a Pan-African flag flying on a pole. The group said the driver of a white sedan who used the weapon stopped when a worker inside the building yelled, the Associated Press reported.
The Uhuru House has been the headquarters and cultural center for the International Uhuru Movement since 1991. The two-story orange stucco building is a well-known institution and landmark.
The building underwent an extensive renovation in 2007.