March 16, 2016, 8:43 AM
Massive fire destroys an iconic Florida mansion
Fire consumes the "Pumpkin Center" mansion in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on March 15, 2016.
WKMG
COCOA BEACH, Fla. - A massive fire has destroyed an iconic Florida mansion once owned by USA Today founder Al Neuharth.
The 10,000-square-foot, ocean front estate is a total loss, according to Cocoa Beach Fire Department Chief Ryan Duckworth. He added that no one was injured in the blaze, which was reported Tuesday night around 9 p.m.
On Wednesday morning, police cordoned off a road in front of the mansion, called the Pumpkin Center, to keep motorists away. Fire investigators were expecting to get a daylight view of the damage.
The cause remains under investigation.
CBS affiliate WKMG reports the building had recently sold for $5 million, the highest paid for a home in Brevard County so far.
The estate was built in 1975, and features 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. It has tennis and basketball courts, 200 feet of beach, plus a treehouse with running water, electricity and an ocean view.
The "Pumpkin Center" mansion in Cocoa Beach, Fla., before it was destroyed by a fire
Dale Sorensen Real Estate of Brevard
WKMG reports: "After Neuharth died in April 2013, his wife, Dr. Rachel Fornes lived there with her children until the estate was sold.Neuharth reportedly had named his estate the Pumpkin Center after a bar and grill in South Dakota where he once worked. The Pumpkin Center was the site of meetings where Neuharth and his team came up with the concept for USA Today."
Locals say they are going to miss the building.
"Very distinct landmark especially from the ocean," said Bruce Reynolds, who lives a block south. "We raze a lot of really nice things to the ground to build new, and that thing had lasted a long time. And it was a visible landmark to people that walked the beach and used the beach."
"It's devastating,'' said Teresa Skare, who lives in a nearby apartment complex. "It hits too close for me because I only live right there. All I know (is) it's a beautiful place. I love going by there and looking at it."
Bystanders stood along the street Tuesday night, watching as firefighters battled the blaze.
Shey Anderson, who lives nearby, told Florida Today the fire grew rapidly.
"We saw the embers in the air and everything. It's really sad. It's been an iconic part of Cocoa Beach for a while now. I know that everybody knows the Pumpkin Center," she said.
Property owner Jeffrey Wells told the Florida Today newspaper earlier this month that his intent was to allow people to hold weddings at the property, once renovations were complete.