Fort Myers couple loses everything in house fire

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Two people and a dog escaped from their home on Kenneth Road as it went up in flames early Wednesday morning.

“I looked off to the left and I saw that there were flames flicking up on the other side of the house from across the street,” one neighbor said.

The homeowner says he heard a loud pop in his garage around 4:30 a.m., and discovered his garage was on fire. He then woke his wife up and the two grabbed their dog and got out safely.

The flames quickly spread through the attic, causing severe damage to the house. Part of the roof also caved in.

“Anybody that you know, whether it’s family or their neighborhood, if something happens to them–you’re worried, you’re concerned,” Esther Kiesel, who lives in the neighborhood said. “Especially this time of the year you’re thinking, what could we do to help them?”

Firefighters from the Iona McGregor Fire Department spent hours battling the flames and hot spots.

The couple says they’re worried their antiques and mementos will not be salvageable but are glad everyone got out safely.

“The fact that they made it out alive is a blessing, it’s a celebration,” Kiesel said. “Now hopefully they won’t feel that they have to pick up the pieces by themselves.”

The couple says they will be staying at a relative’s home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.