Pumpkin Center fire: Cocoa Beach mansion a 'total loss'

Update, 4:30 p.m.:

Officials have lifted a closure of Atlantic Avenue at 4th Street in Cocoa Beach. The road had been closed since Tuesday night as crews worked to put out the blaze.

Original story:

COCOA BEACH — Firefighters from several agencies fought a major fire Tuesday night at an iconic Cocoa Beach estate once owned by Al Neuharth, the founder of FLORIDA TODAY and USA TODAY.

Hundreds of bystanders converged along State Road A1A and the nearby beach to watch as the Pumpkin Center fire was engulfed in flames.

Cocoa Beach Fire Department Chief Ryan Duckworth said no one was injured in the blaze, the cause of which has yet to be determined. He described the property as a "total loss."

"We did a quick preliminary search," Duckworth said. "We did not find any people. We're going to do a secondary once we get close enough to it. We're still actively putting out the fire right now and then we're going to try to find if there's any victims which we don't believe there is and then try to find the cause of the fire."

Pumpkin Center loss marks end of an era

Crews first responded before 9 p.m. Along with Cocoa Beach Fire Department units, Cape Canaveral Fire-Rescue, Brevard County Fire-Rescue and Patrick Air Force Base Fire Department crews were on the scene at Third Street South and Atlantic Avenue. The fire was put out by 1 a.m.

Duckworth added that the fire presented "special challenges" noting that they had to deal with "driving winds" along with issues with respect to water supply.

"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 'cause I only live right there. All I know (is) it's a beautiful place. I love going by there and looking at it."

The property recently sold for nearly $5 million, the highest price ever paid for a house in Brevard County. Property owner Jeffery Wells told FLORIDA TODAY earlier this month his intent was to allow people to hold weddings at the Pumpkin Center – once renovations were complete – so they could enjoy the ocean and beach as a backdrop. Wells said he does that with another beachfront property owns in the Cocoa Beach area, allowing military families to hold their ceremonies there for free.

The estate, built in 1975, is massive with 10,000 square feet of living space, 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.

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.

Investigators search for cause of Pumpkin Center fire

Donna and Ray McMahon have spent their winters in Cocoa Beach since 1993. They live about two blocks from the Pumpkin Center and have walked by the place daily during their time here for over two decades. They, like so many in Cocoa Beach, have always been fascinated by the property and the stories about its’ owners. Shey Anderson, who lives on 8th Street, said 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 added.

“We knew a little bit about who owned the place, but have always been curious to know more, Donna said. "Recently, we’ve started seeing piles of lumber and other signs of construction out front. Since (the City of Cocoa Beach) added the new sidewalk (that runs from 1st street south to 20th street south), people passing by can see a lot more of the Pumpkin Center than they’ve ever been able to see.''

Duckworth also reflected on how sad the fire was for the community.

"It's pretty sad. It's a famous building. There's a lot of history, Mr. Neuharth recently passing and it hurts," Duckworth added. "It hurts all of us in Cocoa Beach so we're going to do everything we can to save what we can of it. We'll do our best."

Sandra Gaines, who has been spending winters in Cocoa Beach since 1986 and lives a couple of blocks from the Pumpkin Center.

“This is a sad sight. We’re watching history burn."

FLORIDA TODAY journalists Malcolm Denemark, Wayne Price, R. Norman Moody and Michelle Mulak contributed to this report.