ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Two people died following a house fire early Thursday — the Fourth of July — in the 3600 block of Avenue O, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Keith Pearson said officials went to the scene shortly after 2:15 a.m., Thursday. The location is west of North 25th Street and just south of Avenue Q.
“The entire house was fully engulfed, completely on fire,” Pearson said, noting the roof of the single-story home collapsed.
He said detectives, crime scene officials, state fire marshal’s office and medical examiner’s office representatives are at the scene.
“They're slowly sifting through each room methodically to determine the cause of the fire and to make sure that we identify and recover any of the deceased,” Pearson said. “We want to make sure that we're able to provide closure for the family and the community on this tragic incident.”
Curlinda Sams, 46, of Fort Pierce, was at the scene several hours after the fire began. She identified the deceased as her aunt and uncle, Charlene and Robert Cash, though the sheriff's office had not publicly identified them.
“They were very reserved people,” Sams said.
She said Robert Cash was known as “Uncle Bob,” and was a veteran. Charlene Cash, she said, was a retired caregiver.
“Anytime somebody needed something done on their vehicle or whatever, Uncle Bob would fix it,” Sams said. “He was the family mechanic.”
Sams said they were residents for more than 30 years.
Robert Cash had children but her aunt had no biological children, though she raised Robert Cash’s grandchildren as her own, Sams said.
“She's raised a plethora of children,” Sams said. “She was the family matriarch.”
Pearson said neighbors and friends indicated two people live at the home, but they have family members that come and go and multiple pets.
“The individuals who we know reside there are unaccounted for,” Pearson said.
St. Lucie County Fire District spokesperson Brenda Smith could not be reached Thursday.
Pearson said investigators don’t believe the blaze was fireworks-related, noting there were no reports of significant fireworks. No other structures were damaged, he said.
“Neighbors there said that they were the hub of the family,” Pearson said. “Everybody loved them.”
Pearson expected sheriff’s officials would remain on the scene for hours and brought a mobile command bus.
'Very bright future ahead of him': Teen who died while fishing with others had passion for angling, bicycles
Gun at school in Fort Pierce: 17-year-old found with loaded gun on campus during summer school
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com .
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Tragedy in St. Lucie County: Two dead after early morning Fourth of July house fire
Most Popular
Comments / 0