Upper Captiva home fire linked to golf cart sparks safety warning

A fire erupted at a home on Cutlass Drive in Upper Captiva, leaving significant damage behind.

The Upper Captiva Fire Department responded to the structure fire around noon on Tuesday. Crews continued working through Wednesday morning to clear debris following a flare-up overnight.

Fire officials believe the fire started from a golf cart parked beneath the structure.

"My thoughts are, it probably was from the golf cart," said Dan Garretto, Fire Chief of Division. "A lot of times with the island, you get the salt air mixture and just the heat from the battery basically get hot and everything kind of expands, and sometimes they can short out well."

"The biggest thing is that we're trying to tell people and educate them is try not to leave the golf cart underneath the home when it's charging," said Garretto. "I know it's convenient. Everything keeps it out of the weather and whatnot. But if you're charging a golf cart or anything, pull it outside the pathway of the driveway. Just make sure there's no structure above it."

According to neighbors, the homeowners were out of the country at the time of the fire. The fire department reported no injuries. The scene remains active and under investigation.