Fire burns through home, 2 cars, RV in Suncoast Estates

A fire in the Suncoast Estates community of North Fort Myers tore through an abandoned home, two cars and an RV on Sunday night.

Mike Matthews woke up to the fire crackling in his backyard on Sunday morning.

“I don’t think… I’ve never seen a fire get that much out of control,” Matthews said. “I got my garden hose first thing because I could see that there was really nothing I could go over there and do.”

The burning North Fort Myers home was right behind Matthews’ trailer, where it spread quickly to a nearby RV, two cars and a tree bordering Matthews’ property.

“My dog bolted for the gate when she saw it,” Matthews said. “I was really worried that the rest of that tree was going to catch on fire and then come over to these trees and jump over, but the firemen did a good job.”

The North Fort Myers Fire Department was quick to arrive. Crews put out the fire in just a few hours and saved Matthews’ home.

“I got real lucky,” Matthews said.

Firefighters say nobody was injured. The house was abandoned, but authorities believe people may have been living there. All of them made it out safely.

It’s still unclear how the fire got started. The North Fort Myers Fire Department is currently investigating and says the home had no power hooked up to it.