×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Early morning fire destroys home

By Staff | Mar 26, 2009

Blackened rafters jutting like rib bones from a mostly-collapsed roof, an ash-smothered pickup truck and a “For Sale” sign are all that remained of a Cape Coral home after it was destroyed in a house fire early Wednesday morning.
The home at 1113 N.E. 10th Terrace was completely engulfed in a blaze that took firefighters more than to two hours to extinguish at about 1:34 a.m.
According to officials, no one was home at the time of the blaze and no one was injured as a result of the fire.
According to Lee County property records, the home belongs to Remigious Ssekiranda.
Ssekiranda could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but neighbors said he is a nice man who has been trying to sell the home for some time.
“He’s a super nice guy,” said neighbor Karen Major, who believed he had not been staying in the home recently.
Major has lived in her home for nearly five years. She said she knows Ssekiranda only as “Remi.”
“When he was here he always took good care of the house,” Major added.
Police documents state that the fire cost more than $200,000 in damages.
Neighbors woke Major Wednesday morning to witness the massive blaze, which caused propane tanks within the home to explode, according to fire officials.
It took 18 firefighters and six fire units to extinguish the fire, according to city spokesperson Connie Barron.
“It’s the biggest fire I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure,” Major said.
She said she thought the homes adjacent to the fire were unoccupied and the wind was blowing away from her home, but she was concerned for some of her fellow neighbors down the street.
“Thank goodness there was no one human who was hurt,” Major said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, though that information remained unclear Wednesday.
“The fire is still under investigation and a determination has not been made at this time,” said State Fire Marshal’s Detective Adam Rivero.