Officials say Matlacha fires are unrelated
Within a three-month period, two Matlacha businesses have been destroyed by fire, however, officials say that the blazes are not related. According to Detective Adam Rivaro with the State Fire Marshall’s office, the Matlacha Post office fire has been attributed to arson while the Mulletville fire has been labeled as an accident.
“We are currently conducting an investigation into the fire at the Matlacha Post office complex, however, we have closed the investigation on Mulletville as it has been determined that the fire was the result of faulty wiring,” Rivaro said. “At this time we are actively seeking any information about the post office fire, and we encourage anyone who may have witnessed anything to contact local authorities.”
Rivaro said the two fires at the postal complex were set in the rear storage areas of the building in units A and C at 4547 Pine Island Road in Matlacha including the post office and a space used for storage by the building owner, Donna Loibl. Also suffering smoke damage is a unit currently occupied by Danny Spring and Associates, Inc.
“We have been working with the tenants and postal authorities to try to get everything back up and running as quickly as possible,” said Loibl. “With this kind of cooperation we were able to get the beauty shop up and back in business in just four days.”
At this time there is no estimate as to the dollar amount lost as a result of the fire. According to Loibl it will be another week or more until the adjusters and contractors come up with a dollar figure, however, Loibl also said that numerous items had been stolen from the storage unit.
“We are asking people to let us know if they see anyone trying to sell new small tool sets and other items so that the authorities may have a lead to the person or persons who may have been responsible for setting the fires,” Loibl said.
Loibl also expressed her thanks to the members of the Matlacha-Pine Island Fire Department.
“Our loss could have been so much greater if the firefighters had not been so conscientious,” Loibl. “To gain entry into the building, they simply popped the locks and didn’t break any windows to get in. We are very grateful for that because those plate glass windows would have been very expensive to replace. It was obvious they tried to do as little damage as possible to the exterior of the building. We also appreciate the speed at which they arrived and put the fire out as well as how professionally they worked alongside the deputies from the Sheriff’s Department.”
Post office owners, Bill and Diane Stoelker also are working diligently to restore postal services for Matlacha residents.
“We are actively seeking a temporary space for the post office and once we find a secure place that is approved by the U.S. Postal Service we will reopen,” said Diane Stoelker. “We know what an inconvenience it is for our box holders and other customers to have to go into Cape Coral to get their mail and we will reopen as soon as we possibly can.”
According to Stoelker, no mail was lost as a result of the fire.
Those with any information about the fire or the possible sale of stolen merchandise are asked to call Lee County Crime Stoppers at 477-1407.