1 killed as shed ignites in North Fort Myers

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A shed caught fire behind a home on the 1700 block St. Clair Avenue East, leaving one person dead, a state fire marshal said.

The fire started just before 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. A tree was also partially burned before firefighters were able to put out the blaze. The cause is unclear.

Nearby resident Tim Brooks said he was putting up Christmas lights when he noticed the blaze.

“I just saw a bunch of smoke going up. I ran over there a jumped the neighbor’s fence,” Brooks said. “I got the garden hose and just started shooting it on the shed and tried to keep it from spreading.”

The scene was taped off, but Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies allowed a man to go behind the tape after he approached them in tears and told them his grandfather was involved in the fire.

The identity of the person who died is unclear.

No further information was immediately available.