PUNTA ON A WILD BURNING FIRE: 4 teenager just found dead in a wildfire burning in punta gorda police identified …..
The first reported death from Hurricane Helene in Southwest Florida came from Charlotte County.
An elderly man living in the Windmill Village community died Saturday. He was severely burned after a golf cart battery exploded, causing a massive fire.
He was trying to fight the fire. He was overcome by the smoke and then passed out into the fire, which resulted in life-threatening burns and injuries,” Todd Dunn, public information officer with Charlotte County Fire & EMS, said.
Mike O’Neill lives near the elderly man, who is named Tom. He said floodwaters hit unprecedented levels in the manufactured home community, making it hard for even first responders to reach the fire.
O’Neill shared that Tom had lived in the area for many years and had a love for kayaking.
“He was here prior to Hurricane Charley. This whole community was wiped out with Charlie, was all rebuilt. He has seen a lot, and then Hurricane Ian, and not to mention all the hurricanes in between,” O’Neill said. “He was always up here dragging his kayaks, always recruiting people for kayak and clubs, always lend a helping hand whenever we need them. So just a great neighbor, just tragic to see that whole process go through.”
An elderly man died after a fire broke out at his manufactured home in Windmill Village on Friday, according to first responders.
His death would be the first instance of a confirmed death in Charlotte County related to Hurricane Helene, due to the storm surge in local neighborhoods.
