Lightning suspected in Dorando Court fire

Marco Island firefighters responded to a boat fire in the early hours of June 26 at 461 Dorando Court. The 40-foot vessel, named Refuge by owners Randall Lee and Andrea Peifer, was fully engulfed in flames by the time responders reached the site.

Photo by Lindsey Kaiser, Marco Eagle

Although the Marco Island Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire that destroyed Randall and Andrea Peifer's yacht at their 641 Dorando Court residence June 25, lightning is the suspected culprit. Despite the fact that Florida is well-known as the lightning capital of the world, Fire Chief Mike Murphy said it rarely causes structure fires in Marco Island.

"Upon arrival of the units, they found the upper portions of the boat completely engulfed in flames," said Fire Chief Mike Murphy. "As of this time, the cause appears to be accidental and we do not have the exact cause of origin at the time of the fire."

Despite conclusive evidence by the next morning, however, Murphy and Fire Inspector John Armstrong speculated that lightning could have caused the blaze, especially after a police officer reported heightened electrical activity in the area around the time of the fire.

"I'm going to say it was most likely a lightning strike ... just because of when it happened and whatnot," Armstrong said.

"Being as how it's at the top and the breakers were popped, I have a feeling it happened after the fire," which is indicative of a lightening strike, he explained.

Also, Murphy said, a police officer reported to fire officials that there was significant lightning activity at about the time the fire started.

The Peifers were in Illinois at the time of the fire and will be returning home shortly, Armstrong said.

The boat, which according to Armstrong was valued at more than $500,000, suffered about $400,000 worth of damage, he said.

Despite frequent lightning activity in the summer, structure fires caused by lightning are fairly rare in Marco Island, Murphy said.

"It's been associated with a number of brushfires around the area," he said. "Since I've been here I haven't seen a house fire or a boat fire that was associated with lightning."

Several brushfires erupted last May throughout Florida and had area firefighters working around the clock to quench the flames before they reached houses off Collier Boulevard in Naples.