Arson ruled in Wulfert fire

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia

A fire at a house under construction at The Sanctuary at Wulfert Point development in Sanibel was determined to be arson after state fire marshals investigated the incident. An oil-based accelerant trail was found upstairs and samples were tested in a laboratory; investigators suspect the fluid may have been mineral spirits. No containers were recovered, and a $1,000 reward was offered, later increased with additional incentives, while damages were still being assessed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Arson investigation at The Sanctuary at Wulfert Point

Evidence and suspected accelerant

Rewards and suspect status

Damage assessment and fire response

TUESDAY,NOVEMBER 2,1993 VOL.32,NO.44 Winning artwork # Arson ruled in Wulfert fire said it is obvious that considerable rebuilding will need to By Steve Ruediger Islander staff writer be done on the home. An oil-based fire accelerant was used by the arsonist, A large house under construction at The Sanctuary at Frederick said.A trail of the flammable liquid was found Wulfert Point development on Sanibel was seriously dam- aged in a fire on Monday night,Oct.25. upstairs in the house and samples are being tested in a lab- Arson was the cause of the blaze,according to the state oratory.The chief said he suspects the fluid used was min- fire marshall's office.A$1,000 reward is being offered for eral spirits. information leading to the arrest and conviction of the No containers for the liquid were found. arsonist. The house is currently owned by Frey &Son,the con- According to Paul Scoggins,project director at The tractors building it for John and Lucy Ruth. Sanctuary,the developer for the project,Sanctuary Painting was being done on the house earlier in the day Residential Properties,has upped the anti by offering an on Oct.25. additional $5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction for Nobody was seen leaving the scene of the fire and there those parties involved in the arson. are no particular suspects at this time,according to The report of the fire was called in by The Sanctuary Frederick. security patrol to the Sanibel Fire Department at 10:11 Fire damage can be seen both at the front of the very p.m.Monday night. large house and on one side,where the fire burned through Sanibel Fire Chief Charlie Frederick said the respond- the roof. ing fire crew quickly got the blaze under control.Luckily, Interior stairs were completely destroyed by the fire. a fire hydrant is located right in front of the house. The fire department did a full response to the fire.The Frederick said t was an extremely hot fire which did first to reach the scene was the one-man truck from Fire considerable damage.No dollar estimate has yet been made regarding the extent of the damage.The fire chief Please see FIRE,page 6A INDEX 5B3C Arts &Leisure Classifieds Commentary Island Guide 4C Permits &Deeds 12B 2A Police Beat Remember When 2B Sports Shorts 8B 4A Weather Watch 7B What's Playing 50 CENTS # Islanders,visitors celebrate 'Ding' Darling's birthday By Anne Bellew Islander Staff Writer Hot sun and a breeze that threatened the stability of the exhibits surrounding the Visitor's Center greeted "party- goers”at the J.N“Ding”Darling birthday celebration Saturday,Oct.30,at the Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. All of Sanibel's conservation-oriented organizations were represented at the party,along with several from off the island. In the overcrowded and overheated auditorium of the Visitor's Center,the first event of the day was the presen- tation of awards to the winners in the Student Environmental Cartoon Contest by Doug MacGregor, political cartoonist for the Fort Myers News-Press.Third, fourth,fifth and sixth graders from several schools showed considerable artistic insight into today's environmental problems. Following that,in the same crowded room,Bruce Miller,the artist whose work is featured on this year's winning Duck Stamp,painted a humorous “portrait of the artist as a young man”—how his art and style evolved from the seventh grade on. "I drew the best stick people in kindergarten,"he said. "I always wanted to be able to say I am an artist’,not `I am a building contractor who does art on the side'‘though I did that too before my work started selling,” Miller was introduced by Robert Leisino,newly appointed Director of the Federal Duck Stamp Program for the Department of the Interior.Leisino pointed out to the audience that the Duck Stamp

FAQs

What was the cause of the Wulfert Point house fire?

Arson was ruled as the cause by the state fire marshal’s office.

What evidence did investigators find at the scene?

A trail of a flammable oil-based accelerant was found upstairs, and liquid samples were taken for laboratory testing.

Were any containers or suspects identified?

No containers for the liquid were found, and there were no particular suspects reported at the time; investigators noted nobody was seen leaving the scene.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia