Man found dead after house fire in Port St. Lucie

Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

PORT ST. LUCIE − A 56-year-old man was found dead in a garage Monday after police went to a home regarding a structure fire.

Police at 6:53 a.m. Monday went to the incident in the 2600 block of Southwest Cactus Circle, police spokesperson Sgt. John Dellacroce said.

Port St. Lucie police responded to a fire at this house in the 2600 block of Southwest Cactus Circle early Monday, May 1, 2023, where a man, 56, was found dead in the garage. Police and fire officials are investigating.
Port St. Lucie police responded to a fire at this house in the 2600 block of Southwest Cactus Circle early Monday, May 1, 2023, where a man, 56, was found dead in the garage. Police and fire officials are investigating.

“An occupant inside the house called 911 after seeing smoke coming from the garage,” Dellacroce stated. “The 911 caller and another occupant were able to safely exit the home and were not injured.”

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St. Lucie County Fire District crews went in the home, and the 56-year-old man was found dead in the garage, police said. Fire District crews are investigating the cause of the fire, and police detectives are investigating the death.

The location is west of Florida’s Turnpike near Southwest Port St. Lucie and Southwest Gatlin boulevards. Several police and Fire District vehicles were parked on Southwest Cactus Circle on either side of the home Monday morning.

A red sedan and a blue sedan were in the driveway outside the garage of the single-story home as police and fire officials stood at the scene, which was blocked by yellow tape.

Family members declined comment.

A St. Lucie County Fire District investigator looks through the remains of a structure fire in the 2600 block of Southwest Cactus Circle on Monday, May 1, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. A 56-year-old man was found dead in the garage, police said. Fire District crews are investigating the cause of the blaze.
A St. Lucie County Fire District investigator looks through the remains of a structure fire in the 2600 block of Southwest Cactus Circle on Monday, May 1, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. A 56-year-old man was found dead in the garage, police said. Fire District crews are investigating the cause of the blaze.

The listed owner of the home is Eloy C Gutierrez Fernandez, according to St. Lucie County Property Appraiser records accessed online.

Neighbor Jacquez Huell, 33, said he was asleep at the time of the fire.

“I came out and seen all the police, but I didn't know what was going on,” Huell said.

He said he wasn’t close with the neighbors where the fire happened, but expressed concern.

A Port St. Lucie Police Investigator turns to a chair when looking for clues at the scene of a structure fire at a home in the 2600 block of Cactus Circle on Monday, May 1, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. St. Lucie County Fire District investigators search through the remains of the fire in the garage, where a 56-year-old man was found dead.
A Port St. Lucie Police Investigator turns to a chair when looking for clues at the scene of a structure fire at a home in the 2600 block of Cactus Circle on Monday, May 1, 2023, in Port St. Lucie. St. Lucie County Fire District investigators search through the remains of the fire in the garage, where a 56-year-old man was found dead.

Huell, who said he purchased his home in January 2022, thought a husband and wife and two teen children lived in the home.

“It's usually quiet, nothing like this ever happens,” he said.

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St. Lucie County Fire District spokesperson Brenda Stokes said the cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.

She said one adult and two teens were displaced.

Another neighbor, Krista Keiser, 29, said she frequently saw a woman working in the garage.

“My husband said people were out there and he thought maybe there was a small fire and then when we realized how many people were coming, we realized somebody must have passed away,” Keiser said. “We saw the family crying and we just wanted to give them their privacy.”

Family members (front center) watch the activities as St. Lucie County Fire District investigators search the remains of their house on Southwest Cactus Circle in Port St. Lucie. A 56-year-old man was found dead in the garage, police said. Fire District crews are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Family members (front center) watch the activities as St. Lucie County Fire District investigators search the remains of their house on Southwest Cactus Circle in Port St. Lucie. A 56-year-old man was found dead in the garage, police said. Fire District crews are investigating the cause of the blaze.

No other information was available Monday afternoon.

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-692-8936. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Police find man dead in garage after fire in Port St. Lucie