Fire kills family dog, destroys home in Port Charlotte

A fire destroyed a family’s Port Charlotte home and killed their dog early Friday morning. Now, that fire is considered a criminal investigation.

Reports of the fire were called in just after 3:30 a.m., according to Charlotte County Fire & EMS.

Flames were visible when firefighters arrived at the house located on the 21000 block of Edgewater Drive, and the home sustained enough fire and smoke damage to render it unlivable.

The three residents of the home were able to get out of the house safely on their own, but the family dog unfortunately died. Red Cross was called to help the residents with lodging and the sheriff’s office is now investigating.

Neighbor Lonnie Kinney said fire trucks and deputies swarmed the neighborhood, “I mean they just came out of nowhere. They covered the whole street for three blocks. And they were beating on windows and doors breaking glass trying to get into the house. There was smoke all over the place. It’s pretty smoky out here.”

The state fire marshal and members of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s criminal investigation unit say they continue to investigate the nature of the fire. No arrests have been made at this time.