FL- Lehigh Acres man sets self, girlfriend's house on fire

5-16-2008 Florida:

A man upset with his girlfriend set himself and a house on fire in the first of two structure fires handled before noon Tuesday by the Lehigh Acres fire district.

Three houses have been damaged or destroyed by fire since Sunday, when a house on 75th Street W. was gutted.

Robert J. Costa, 41, used gasoline to set himself ablaze in the home of his girlfriend, Cheryl Kirk, also 41. He was flown to Tampa General Hospital with second-degree burns over 75 percent of his body, authorities said. The 1 a.m. fire did an estimated $200,000 damage to the house at 506 Corinne Drive.

Costa, whose address was listed as 4745 22nd St., which is now a vacant duplex, was at Kirk's home when the two began to argue, according to Lee County Sheriff's deputy Rodolphus Hall.

Kirk told Hall that Costa swallowed some of her morphine medication, went into the garage, got a can of gasoline, told her and her 10-year-old son to leave, doused himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire.

"He was calm up until he got upset because she refused to have sex with him," Hall reported. "Ms. Kirk said Mr. Costas said he was done with everything and decided to end it all."

He then tried to put out the flames with the water hose from the kitchen sink. He was not successful.

According to reports, Kirk was not able to call for help from the home because Costas had ripped the phone from the wall and broken the cell phone.

Kirk, not sure what to do, drove to the nearest fire station about two miles away on Homestead Road South. She knocked on the door and told firefighters what had happened.

Lee Control paramedics and Lehigh firefighters found Costas inside the home on fire with burns all over his body. Additionally, parts of the bedroom, hallway, living room and attic were on fire.

The sheriff's report listed the case as an arson. No charges have been filed.

The second fire was in a house at 723 Roosevelt Ave.

"I take the dog around the block every day," said owner Jose Marrero, 55.

He was a block away with his dog, Tyson, when he saw smoke and realized his house was on fire.

An unidentified passerby already had called for help and had rolled Marrero's pickup out of the driveway. Firefighters were inside the house when Marrero got back.

Marrero said he was preparing deep-fried croquets for lunch before the blaze started around 8:30 a.m., but he was certain that he did not leave the stove burner on.

The cause is under investigation. Fire damage was confined to the kitchen with smoke damage throughout the house.

Meanwhile, Alicia Benjamin, whose home was destroyed by fire on Sunday, welcomed some assistance Tuesday from the Lehigh Acres Kiwanis Club and Lehigh Community Services.

Kiwanis Thrift Store Manager Anthony Vocaturo and Community Services Director Rae Nicely delivered mattresses, household goods and furniture to the Benjamins, who moved into a new rental home Tuesday.

"They are bringing me a whole houseful of things. We have nothing," said Alicia Benjamin, a bus driver for the Lee County School District.

"I'm thankful. I'm grateful. I'm appreciative," Benjamin's daughter Royshaunda Benjamin said as the Kiwanis truck driver prepared to back into their driveway to unload. ..more.. by Don Ruane