FORT MYERS, Fla. — We now know winds and a lot of belongings made a house fire much harder to fight Monday night in Ft Myers.
The call about the fire at the corner of Arlington Street and Jefferson Avenue came around 6 o'clock Monday. Some of you may have seen the smoke from as far away as the Mid Point Bridge.
While it only took firefighters five minutes to arrive on scene, we're told a neighbor had stepped in to rescue the homeowner Howard Beck.
"It started crackling in the carport, and it didn't throw the breaker," Beck told Fox 4's Community Correspondent for Ft Myers, Anvar Ruziev.
While the exact cause isn't yet clear, firefighters said the State Fire Marshall had to investigate, because a firefighter was hurt and had to be taken to the hospital. The extent of his or her injuries were unknown at the time.
The fire chief on scene said this fire was even more difficult to assess, because the home was a "hoarder house," full of belongings.
Firefighters said strong shifting winds also made the fire difficult to contain, as it moved the blaze back and forth.
