One dead after fire rips through Cape Coral home

One person is dead and a home is destroyed after a fire at the home of an elderly veteran in Cape Coral early Tuesday morning.

The fire marshal is investigating how the fire started. Crews went to SE 3rd Street, near Cape Coral Hospital, to find the fire had spread through the roof and had partially collapsed it. There was fear it would spread to other properties. Ryan Lamb, Cape Coral fire chief, said in a press conference that someone died in the fire, but he did not specify whom.

A veteran in his 70s owns the house. WINK News spoke to the owner of the home last December when code enforcement said he had to clean up his property and rid it of junk and furniture piling up in the front yard.

He had multiple code violations, but a neighbor said the owner cleaned up much of the junk that had filled his yard, but the inside remained very cluttered.

Lamb said that there was more material in the home than he sees at most fires, and firefighters say that stuff made it tougher for them to put out the flames.

Not only was it an obstacle to get through but also some of it fueled the fire.

Neighbors said they heard some loud explosions. Then had to leave their homes while firefighters worked for two hours to put it out.

Investigators are still working to identify the body and the specific cause of death.